Impact case studies

The Oxford Impacts series celebrates the range of impacts the University has on the world of policy, health, business and culture. All of this is enabled by the world-leading research of Oxford academics. This set of case studies showcases academic research, across a range of subjects, that has had an impact on the world.

If you know of some impact from Oxford research which we should showcase please contact the Innovation and Engagement Team.

A hand-held device to help detect signs of cardiovascular and other diseases.

A new device to detect cardiovascular disease

A collaboration between the Physics and Cardiovascular Medicine Departments at Oxford University has developed a low-cost, hand-held device to help detect signs of cardiovascular and other diseases.

artwork of cover for Darem the Lion Defender

Engaging communities in wildlife conservation through storybooks

A series of children's books, created by Lion Landscapes (part of Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit) are helping to put communities in Africa at the heart of conservation efforts – and illustrating how wildlife, people and healthy ecosystems can co-exist.

Wildebeest

Developing the next generation of wildlife conservation leaders

A unique postgraduate diploma, run by Oxford’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, is helping to develop the next generation of international wildlife conservation leaders in the Global South.

girl with her arms up standing near some water

Tackling mental illness by supporting industry to develop new drugs

An academic/industry partnership, based at the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, is helping companies use experimental medicine approaches to speed up development of new drugs to treat psychiatric disorders.

screenshot of a map showing climate-related impacts

A Global Resilience Index: Supporting climate adaptation of global infrastructure systems

A new Global Resilience Index, developed by researchers at the Environmental Change Institute, is helping policy makers understand climate risks to global infrastructure systems and plan appropriate investments and interventions.

Close up of mosquito

Development of a Malaria vaccine - R21/Matrix-M

EU funding has supported University of Oxford led programmes to create and validate vaccines for some of the most prevalent and deadly diseases affecting low- and middle-income countries.

Swabbing for injection

Development and roll-out of Typhoid Vi-conjugate vaccine (TCV)

EU funding has supported University of Oxford led programmes to create and validate vaccines for some of the most prevalent and deadly diseases affecting low- and middle-income countries.

Illustrating thought processing

Development of automated speech recognition and language learning tools

Researchers at the University of Oxford, led by Professor Aditi Lahiri, Director of the Language and Brain Laboratory, have developed an automated speech recognition system based on modelling of how the brain processes sounds. The research has been awarded four European Research Council grants: two Advanced and, for innovation building on their results, two Proof of Concept awards.

food exhibition with people

Meat the future and Meat your Persona: starting the conversation about sustainable diets

Public engagement activities developed by the Livestock, Environment and People (LEAP) programme have taken the message about food production, climate change and health around the UK – encouraging people to consider how diet affects personal and planetary health.

phot of Lucie Cluver, Jamie Lachman, Frances Gardner

Research-based child abuse prevention and parenting programme to support lifelong health

Millions of people around the world have been supported by a suite of evidence-based, open-access parenting programmes, developed by Oxford researchers and adapted to help families in times of crisis, from Covid-19 to the Turkey-Syria earthquake to the Ukraine war to the floods in Pakistan.

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