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Giving to Bradford Donor Newsletter 2022

We are pleased to share with our donors, supporters, and alumni community the Giving to Bradford Donor Newsletter 2022. Now in its second year, the newsletter highlights the ground-breaking research in the areas of cancer research, space ai, peace studies, and archaeology supported by our alumni and donor community, stories from students whose lives have been transformed by the generosity of our donors, as well as stories from fellow donors on why they chose to support the University. 

It has been an eventful year at the University, and we hope that you enjoy reading about the accomplishments made possible through the generosity of our valued donors.

If you require this information in an alternative format, please contact our team. You can also read our Website Accessibility Statement.

An update on the Bradford Futures Fund

The current cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on everyone, and our students are no exception. With inflation at 10.1% (ONS, July 2022) heading into the new academic year, it is even harder for talented individuals facing financial hardship to afford to continue studying. 

The University has responded to the current cost of living crisis by increasing the Bradford Futures Fund annual award to £1,500, an increase of £500 from the previous year. This uplift will make a bigger impact to those in most need of support. 

The University awarded seven Bradford Futures Scholarships in 2021/22; however, these recipients only represented 15% of the eligible applications. We are determined to increase the number of students these scholarships can make a difference to, and this will only be possible with your help.

If you have any questions about the Bradford Futures Fund, would like to make a new donation or increase an existing donation, please contact development@bradford.ac.uk  

2021/22 scholarship recipients holding letter spelling out thank you

Read the Bradford Futures Fund update.

Donor Spotlight

Donations made to the University provide much-needed support to students through scholarships or providing essential equipment for research students. 

All donations received go directly to supporting our students, whether this is through providing research equipment within the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics or supporting students facing financial hardship through scholarships.

We spoke to some of our donors to find out about their time at Bradford and what inspired them to donate to the University. 

If you would like to share your story, please contact development@bradford.ac.uk

The Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI

The Centre was officially opened on the 12th October 2022, thanks to a generous philanthropic donation of £2m by Dr Venkata ‘Murthy’ Renduchintala, an alumnus and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bradford. The Centre will advance research and stimulate innovation in the areas of distributed computing, automation, and information technologies.

Murthy had this to say about supporting the University of Bradford.

“I am delighted to be able to make this donation to my Alma Mater.

“Whatever I have been able to achieve professionally thus far has been built on the solid academic foundation the University provided me with. It, therefore, seems both fitting and appropriate that I participate in helping the leadership of the University as they take this institute into important fields of research and learning that look towards our future.

“I am really excited by the ambitions we have for the Centre and am confident that the research it conducts will be both influential and impactful.”

Plaque reveal for The Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI, with the Lord Mayor of Bradford, the High Sherif of West Yorkshire, Dr Murthy Renduchintala, and Professor Shirley Congdon

Plaque reveal for The Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI, with the Lord Mayor of Bradford, the High Sherif of West Yorkshire, Dr Murthy Renduchintala, and Professor Shirley Congdon

Celebrating a decade of the Bestway Foundation Scholarship

The Bestway Foundation has supported the University through the 'Bestway Foundation Scholarships for Students from Pakistan' for 10 years. These scholarships support students studying in the Faculty of Engineering & Informatics and Faculty of Life Sciences, who would otherwise not be able to access education due to economic disadvantage, societal pressures, or limited opportunities for further study.

Fifty students have so far had the opportunity to complete a master's degree and transform their lives.

We are pleased to announce that the Bestway Foundation has renewed its longstanding partnership with the University, by continuing its support of these scholarships. This new funding will support five students per year from 2023 to 2028.

Bestway Foundation 2021/22 scholarship recipients

2021/22 Bestway Foundation scholars

Introducing our 2021/22 scholarship recipients

We are pleased to announce that through donor support we have been able to award 26 scholarships for the 2021/22 academic year.

Without donors like you, the journeys of these students into higher education would have been very different, your support has allowed them to thrive while studying at Bradford.

Stories like these are made possible through support from people like you. Whether you are one of our valued regular donors or are able to donate in a larger capacity, all donations make an impact on students’ lives.

Digging up the past 

Hampole Priory

The University is very grateful to The Headley Trust for its generous donation of £23,518 towards the excavation of Hampole Priory - a twelfth-century priory that was home to a group of Benedictine nuns. 

Hampole Priory has the potential to reveal fascinating insights into a significant period of religious upheaval. Active for almost 400 years before being dissolved in the sixteenth century by Henry VIII as part of the English Reformation, the area has never been properly excavated, which is unusual for a medieval site of this nature. 

Previous smaller digs revealed the presence of structures close to the surface, as well as pottery and other smaller finds, proving that the site has significant archaeological potential, but a full investigation was necessary to reveal the secrets of this fascinating piece of British religious history. 

The project involved both undergraduate and post graduate students, gibing them valuable real-life archaeological experience. The excavation was successfully undertaken in September 2022, and post-excavation work and analysis is currently ongoing. 

Archaeology student examining artefacts through a microscope

Fighting cancer together

Professor Sherif El-Khamisy, Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics

Professor Sherif El-Khamisy, Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics talks about the impact your donations have made supporting cancer research at the University of Bradford.

“We have always been privileged here at the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics to be able to count on the generosity and thoughtfulness of you, our donors. Your longstanding support has powered the research breakthroughs made by my team and helped us educate the next generation of cancer researchers. 

“This year we are proud to announce that we have been able to create three brand-new donor funded PhD studentships in anti-cancer therapeutics and are thrilled to have received donations to purchase vital pieces of research equipment. With our unique focus on the delivery of therapeutics through prodrugs, we are confident that we are ideally placed to deliver even more significant advances against cancer in the near future.

“To everyone who has supported our work, I would simply like to say - thank you. We are only able to achieve what we do together, with your help.

Professor Sherif El-Khamisy, Director of the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics

Professor Sherif El-Khamisy