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Lancaster University's School of Computing and Communications have secured six research grants totalling £1.4m.

The grants have been awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), bolstering the School's existing £10m grant portfolio.

Fuelling the School's mission to undertake fundamental research with real world impact, the funding will be used to support research projects pioneering digital techniques with applications that impact on our everyday lives.

Grant-winning projects range from improving the sustainability of the UK's transport, trade and communications infrastructures, to reducing the carbon footprint of the typical grocery shop, and working with village communities to develop tools to help share stories related to their local history.

Head of the School of Computing and Communications, Professor Geoff Coulson, said: "I am absolutely delighted at this recent burst of spectacular success in research funding. It is due reward for the considerable effort that all concerned have expended in the School's strategic push to grow our research funding base.

"It is gratifying also to observe how well this set of projects fits together, with each addressing a complementary set of real-world concerns. Collectively, they really highlight the School's fundamental ethos of 'research with impact'."

Lancaster University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mark Smith had high praise for the School of Computing and Communications:

"This is great news - grant funding is one of the key inputs in allowing a research-led university to be research led."

The six recently awarded grants are:

• BARTER: moBile sociAl netwoRking supporTing local Ethical tRading (£193,931)
  Dr Paul Coulton (ImaginationLancaster), Professor Jon Whittle
  Investigating the role of social networking and using game design to encourage more local and ethical trading initiatives to produce new complimentary economic models to build a more sustainable society.
  
• Cognitive Resource Scheduling Designs Towards Green Wireless Systems(£300,568)
  Professor Qiang Ni
  Exploring environment-friendly green wireless communication technology. In collaboration with Nokia Siemens Networks, National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos" and Intracom Telecom.
  
• Creativity Greenhouse: Digital Brain Switch (£209,160)
  Professor Jon Whittle
  Studying how people manage the switch between work/life boundaries both in the 'real' and digital worlds, focusing on the role of modern communications and their impact. In collaboration with Dr C Ang - University of Kent, Professor Gillian Symon - University of London, Dr H Roby - Open University
  
• Encouraging Low Carbon Food Shopping with Ubicomp Interventions (£214,455)
  Dr Adrian Friday, Dr Michael Hazas, Dr Adrian Clear and Dr Mark Rouncefield
  Working with businesses to investigate use of pervasive computing methodologies in reducing the carbon footprint of food. In collaboration with EH Booths &Co Ltd and Small World Consulting.
  
• Supporting Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Maintenance (£161,633)
  Professor Nigel Davies, Dr Adrian Friday
  Exploring opportunities to minimise the environmental impact of maintaining the UK's transport infrastructure using predictive travel patterns. In collaboration with Carillion Plc and In Touch Ltd.
  
• The SHARC Project: Investigating Technology Support for the Shared Curation of Local History in a Rural Community (£286,406)
  Dr Keith Cheverst
  Working with village communities to develop and evaluate tools that support the shared telling of stories related to their local history and heritage.
  

Tue 06 November 2012