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LIDC,
36 Gordon Square, London,
WC1H 0PD, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7958 8251
Fax: +44 (0) 20 3073 8303
About Us
New approaches towards international development
LIDC develops interdisciplinary research and training programmes to address complex international development challenges. Addressing these challenges effectively often requires working across sectors, such as education and health, or between disciplines, such as sociology and economics. With partner institutions in low and middle income countries, LIDC builds initiatives on such subjects as climate change, HIV/AIDS, migration, and emerging diseases.
LIDC’s constituent Colleges are Birkbeck, Institute of Education, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal Veterinary College, School of Oriental and African Studies, and The School of Pharmacy. Collectively, these specialist Colleges have enormous depth of development-related research and training in education, health, agriculture, environment, law and business sectors, with disciplinary expertise ranging from clinical and veterinary medicine to economics, anthropology, sociology,and history. LIDC was established in 2007 with a grant of £3.7m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and it now has more than 1,000 staff, students and alumni members from its constituent Colleges.
Vision and mission
LIDC’s vision is a world made more equitable and secure through poverty reduction and the sustainable use of resources. Our mission is to empower development professionals and programmes with more effective tools and better skills, knowledge and understanding to achieve this vision.
LIDC aims to:
Click here for the full LIDC strategy webpage.
Research themes
LIDC catalyses dialogue and collaboration on new research initiatives by bringing together groups of researchers from its constituent Colleges at workshops and seminars. Some of these workshops generate inter-College working groups on research themes. LIDC helps these groups to develop projects and proposals for collaborative research grants and studentships.
As LIDC develops, more and more themes will emerge. Presently, LIDC is developing three interdisciplinary themes with Colleges and partners:
Workshops have also been held on human rights, HIV/AIDS, water, behavioural medicine, corporate governance and ethics, medicines, seeds and fertilisers, and communications and development.
Click here for the full LIDC research webpage.
Projects
LIDC has already helped its members to secure significant research contracts, including:
LIDC’s training-related projects and outputs include:
Partnerships
LIDC benefits from many long-standing partnerships between its constituent Colleges and institutions in developing countries. Over the last five years, the Colleges have had partnerships or links with over 300 partners undertaking over 200 projects or pieces of work across 63 countries. Currently around 180 partnerships exist across 53 countries having been formed around 207 different projects. The majority of partnerships have been formed with Africa and South Asia, with over a quarter of partnerships alone having been established in East Africa.
LIDC has forged its own partnerships with the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) as well as with other organisations working in international development or interdisciplinary research.
Events
LIDC hosts conferences and seminars, many of which are open to the general public, at its own premises and at venues across the Bloomsbury Colleges. Past events have focused on the Millennium Development Goals, water and development, China’s relations with Africa, and education in developing countries.
LIDC's premises
LIDC is based in the heart of leafy Bloomsbury at 36-38 Gordon Square, and is within easy walking distance of the Bloomsbury Colleges and major national and international railway stations (King’s Cross, Euston, St Pancras). About 50 international development specialists from Birkbeck, LSHTM, IoE and SOAS are based in the building. The headquarters are also home to the UK office of the George Institute for International Health and the Royal African Society.
Management structure
LIDC's operations are overseen by a committee of the Principals of the six Bloomsbury Colleges. Professor Jeff Waage, Director of LIDC provides day-to-day leadership and strategic direction at LIDC. He is assisted by the LIDC Team (comprising Samantha Blackburn, PA to the Director; Guy Collender, Senior Communications Officer; Cathy Fletcher, Programme Development; and Julie Wood, Centre Manager) and by a Strategy Group comprising leading scientists and educators from the Colleges.
LIDC Team
Professor Jeff Waage
Director
Jeff has a background in international agricultural research for development. He has worked on biological pest control, farmer participatory research and invasive alien species problems and currently works on biological and social aspects of international biosecurity. His career has been split between academia, as a former Professor and head of agricultural and environment departments at Imperial College, London and international work, as Chief Executive of the intergovernmental agency CABI Bioscience, which undertakes research for development through collaborative centres in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.
In his international work, he has helped set up and run initiatives on agriculture and environment with the UN system, international centres and Conventions, including the Global IPM Facility, the Global Invasive Species Programme and LUBILOSA, an African-based programme which developed alternatives to pesticides for the control of locust plagues. Jeff has a strong interest in inter-disciplinary research and training for development and believes that LIDC has a unique potential to be creative and influential in this area. He joined LIDC as its first Director in 2007.
Samantha Blackburn
Director's PA
Originally from South Africa, Sam started working at LIDC in December 2007. Her previous jobs include working for a year at the Teaching Support Office at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and two years at the Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Programme, part of the NHS’ National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Sam is a PA by day and a DJ by night, specialising in electronic music.
Guy Collender
Senior Communications Officer
Guy has a background in journalism and international development. He studied Modern History at Oxford University and was a reporter for two years at The News (Portsmouth’s daily newspaper) before he gained an MSc in Population and Development from the London School of Economics (LSE). Guy then worked at the Media Monitoring Unit, part of the UK Civil Service, for two years. He was also seconded to the Press Office at the Department for International Development during this period. In 2007 he became a Communications Officer at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Sussex. Guy joined LIDC in July 2008.
guy.collender@lidc.bloomsbury.ac.uk
+ 44 (0) 20 7958 8260
Skype Name: guycollender
Catherine Fletcher
Programme Development
After PhD and postdoctoral studies at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Cathy worked as a lecturer in medical parasitology at the National Yang Ming University, Taipei. Subsequently she became scientific editor for the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica (Taiwan). On returning to the UK she joined the Wellcome Trust's Infection and Immunity Section, and worked within the Trust for 11 years handling a wide variety of UK and international grants. In 2006 she moved to Kenya to work as Head of Training for the KEMRI (Kenya Medical Research Institute)-Wellcome Trust Research Programme based in Kilifi, in line with her long-term interest in capacity strengthening for health and development. She joined LIDC in July 2008.
catherine.fletcher@lidc.bloomsbury.ac.uk
LIDC develops interdisciplinary research and training programmes to address complex international development challenges. Addressing these challenges effectively often requires working across sectors, such as education and health, or between disciplines, such as sociology and economics. With partner institutions in low and middle income countries, LIDC builds initiatives on such subjects as climate change, HIV/AIDS, migration, and emerging diseases.
LIDC’s constituent Colleges are Birkbeck, Institute of Education, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal Veterinary College, School of Oriental and African Studies, and The School of Pharmacy. Collectively, these specialist Colleges have enormous depth of development-related research and training in education, health, agriculture, environment, law and business sectors, with disciplinary expertise ranging from clinical and veterinary medicine to economics, anthropology, sociology,and history. LIDC was established in 2007 with a grant of £3.7m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and it now has more than 1,000 staff, students and alumni members from its constituent Colleges.
Vision and mission
LIDC’s vision is a world made more equitable and secure through poverty reduction and the sustainable use of resources. Our mission is to empower development professionals and programmes with more effective tools and better skills, knowledge and understanding to achieve this vision.
LIDC aims to:
- Develop high-quality interdisciplinary research between the Colleges and with their research partners
- Develop new and innovative teaching programmes to support development goals
- Inform national and international policies on development through linking research, policy and practice
- Build capacity in low- and middle-income countries to address the needs of higher education and research institutions, NGOs and governments
Click here for the full LIDC strategy webpage.
Research themes
LIDC catalyses dialogue and collaboration on new research initiatives by bringing together groups of researchers from its constituent Colleges at workshops and seminars. Some of these workshops generate inter-College working groups on research themes. LIDC helps these groups to develop projects and proposals for collaborative research grants and studentships.
As LIDC develops, more and more themes will emerge. Presently, LIDC is developing three interdisciplinary themes with Colleges and partners:
- Emerging and zoonotic disease threats in developing countries
- Improving access to medicines by the poor
- The interaction of agriculture and health in development
Workshops have also been held on human rights, HIV/AIDS, water, behavioural medicine, corporate governance and ethics, medicines, seeds and fertilisers, and communications and development.
Click here for the full LIDC research webpage.
Projects
LIDC has already helped its members to secure significant research contracts, including:
- A five-year £3.5m award from The Leverhulme Trust to build an Agri-Health discipline linking agricultural and health
- A capacity-building partnership with the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) - a research consortium across five African countries supported by a £6.1m Wellcome Trust grant to strengthen African institutions and target human and animal diseases in Africa
- A partnership with the Institute of Education’s Development Education Research Centre to encourage students to become global citizens as part of a three-year £232,000 DFID-funded project
LIDC’s training-related projects and outputs include:
- Distance Learning for Development (DL4D): A portal of over 140 distance learning courses related to international development provided by the Colleges and the University of London
- Field costs for Bloomsbury PhD students undertaking international development research
Partnerships
LIDC benefits from many long-standing partnerships between its constituent Colleges and institutions in developing countries. Over the last five years, the Colleges have had partnerships or links with over 300 partners undertaking over 200 projects or pieces of work across 63 countries. Currently around 180 partnerships exist across 53 countries having been formed around 207 different projects. The majority of partnerships have been formed with Africa and South Asia, with over a quarter of partnerships alone having been established in East Africa.
LIDC has forged its own partnerships with the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA) as well as with other organisations working in international development or interdisciplinary research.
Events
LIDC hosts conferences and seminars, many of which are open to the general public, at its own premises and at venues across the Bloomsbury Colleges. Past events have focused on the Millennium Development Goals, water and development, China’s relations with Africa, and education in developing countries.
LIDC's premises
LIDC is based in the heart of leafy Bloomsbury at 36-38 Gordon Square, and is within easy walking distance of the Bloomsbury Colleges and major national and international railway stations (King’s Cross, Euston, St Pancras). About 50 international development specialists from Birkbeck, LSHTM, IoE and SOAS are based in the building. The headquarters are also home to the UK office of the George Institute for International Health and the Royal African Society.
Management structure
LIDC's operations are overseen by a committee of the Principals of the six Bloomsbury Colleges. Professor Jeff Waage, Director of LIDC provides day-to-day leadership and strategic direction at LIDC. He is assisted by the LIDC Team (comprising Samantha Blackburn, PA to the Director; Guy Collender, Senior Communications Officer; Cathy Fletcher, Programme Development; and Julie Wood, Centre Manager) and by a Strategy Group comprising leading scientists and educators from the Colleges.
LIDC Team
Professor Jeff Waage
Director
Jeff has a background in international agricultural research for development. He has worked on biological pest control, farmer participatory research and invasive alien species problems and currently works on biological and social aspects of international biosecurity. His career has been split between academia, as a former Professor and head of agricultural and environment departments at Imperial College, London and international work, as Chief Executive of the intergovernmental agency CABI Bioscience, which undertakes research for development through collaborative centres in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.In his international work, he has helped set up and run initiatives on agriculture and environment with the UN system, international centres and Conventions, including the Global IPM Facility, the Global Invasive Species Programme and LUBILOSA, an African-based programme which developed alternatives to pesticides for the control of locust plagues. Jeff has a strong interest in inter-disciplinary research and training for development and believes that LIDC has a unique potential to be creative and influential in this area. He joined LIDC as its first Director in 2007.
Samantha Blackburn
Director's PA
Originally from South Africa, Sam started working at LIDC in December 2007. Her previous jobs include working for a year at the Teaching Support Office at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and two years at the Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Programme, part of the NHS’ National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Sam is a PA by day and a DJ by night, specialising in electronic music.
Guy Collender
Senior Communications Officer
Guy has a background in journalism and international development. He studied Modern History at Oxford University and was a reporter for two years at The News (Portsmouth’s daily newspaper) before he gained an MSc in Population and Development from the London School of Economics (LSE). Guy then worked at the Media Monitoring Unit, part of the UK Civil Service, for two years. He was also seconded to the Press Office at the Department for International Development during this period. In 2007 he became a Communications Officer at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Sussex. Guy joined LIDC in July 2008.guy.collender@lidc.bloomsbury.ac.uk
+ 44 (0) 20 7958 8260
Skype Name: guycollender
Catherine Fletcher
Programme Development
After PhD and postdoctoral studies at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Cathy worked as a lecturer in medical parasitology at the National Yang Ming University, Taipei. Subsequently she became scientific editor for the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica (Taiwan). On returning to the UK she joined the Wellcome Trust's Infection and Immunity Section, and worked within the Trust for 11 years handling a wide variety of UK and international grants. In 2006 she moved to Kenya to work as Head of Training for the KEMRI (Kenya Medical Research Institute)-Wellcome Trust Research Programme based in Kilifi, in line with her long-term interest in capacity strengthening for health and development. She joined LIDC in July 2008.catherine.fletcher@lidc.bloomsbury.ac.uk
Julie Wood
Centre Manager
Centre Manager
Julie has a background in project and programme management, policy and international development. After completing an MA in Social Sciences at Glasgow University, Julie spent two years in Henan, central China as an English teacher trainer. She has since spent five years in the voluntary sector working for Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), which included establishing a volunteer recruitment and training centre in Delhi, India. Julie has more recently been working in the public sector for the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), managing national programmes to attract more people into teaching and developing education policy on citizenship and student voice. Julie joined LIDC in January 2010.
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