Look around. Urban decay appears to have accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic doesn’t it? It’s certainly more visible with all the empty shops, shuttered businesses and general upkeep that has fallen by the wayside. So the ‘Urban decay and regeneration’ sub-theme of this year’s Being Human festival, the annual celebration of humanities research led by the School of Advanced Study (SAS) at the University of London, has heightened relevance and dynamism. Particularly as problems need solutions – and the humanities can provide the research and tools for regeneration. 

©Swansea University  At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic it took a campaign by activists – many of them humanities researchers – to persuade the Government to accept loss of smell and taste as a symptom of coronavirus. Now it is considered one of the key symptoms.

The University of London’s School of Advanced Study (SAS) is a key partner in the Future Leaders Fellowships ( FLF ) Development Network, which will provide training and development to 210 new fellows and 40 early career researchers and innovators.  The £2.8 million contract was awarded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to a consortium led by the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Academic Development following a competitive tender process. The programme is funded for three years. 

Leading academics have launched a campaign to protect UK academic freedoms, scholars and students in the face of intensifying internationalisation. They say universities should be more accountable to staff and students when it comes to the partnerships they enter into. They have created a  model code of conduct  and are seeking buy-in from the British education community – universities and education institutions as well as Governments and the bodies they work with.