Annual Fund supports 31 projects across the University

A total of 31 projects are being supported by the Annual Fund, the University’s fundraising appeal. A special disbursement panel made up of donors, staff and students recommended which projects should be funded. The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) received 64 applications.

Projects supported by the Annual Fund include:

• Student Peer Coaching Networks – support to encourage 2nd year undergraduate students and PhD students to meet on a regular basis to provide training and skills development.
• Exeter Care Homes Reading Project – funding to link Exeter University English students with a number of Care Homes in the local community to develop a reading scheme.
• Law in Transition-From Legal Studies to Legal Practice – funding to support the post of a qualified supervisor for the Community Legal Helpdesk, a student outreach project based at Exeter County Court
• Every Student Volunteers – support to fund one discipline based volunteering project per College for up to 50 students.
• Career and Employability Fund – funding to improve/increase recruitment and employability opportunities for Cornwall students.
• Internationally Genetically Engineered Machine Competition – to enable the University to enter its inaugural undergraduate team into the iGEM competition in 2012. iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition where multidisciplinary student teams are given a kit of biological parts with the aim of designing  new biological systems and operate them in living cells.
• First Steps in Publishing – support to give students the opportunity to gain valuable insight into a career in Publishing. The aim is to equip students with the skills needed to successfully secure their first role in the sector.
• Work Placements in the Life & Environmental Sciences – funding to provide travel bursaries to enable Biosciences and Geography students at on the Cornwall campus to take up work placement opportunities.
• Coach Education Fund – funding to enable the Sports Park to help subsidise National Governing Body coaching qualifications in sports for all students.
• Adding to Academic Excellence – support for activities at the end of the academic year that will engage students to take part in unique, dynamic, exciting and research-intensive experiences.
• Exemplary academic writing skills project- providing an opportunity for students in Management Discipline to submit their work for publication in a professionally produced university journal.
• Ghana International Project – support to allow 10 students to visit Ghana to work with both a local school and the local community, teaching both academic subjects and sports.
• Student Entrepreneur in Residence – to expand and secure the future of the Student Entrepreneur in Residence initiative. This involves the Students’ Guild working in collaboration with EGD and the Innovation Centre to join up current activity on campus to support student enterprise and entrepreneurial activity
• Exploring Computer Science through Interaction – support to enhance the engagement of students with Computer Science by increasing their knowledge and understanding of the subject in addition to what is offered at Exeter. Aimed at current students, and those from the wider community, the project will provide the department of Computer Science with a set of resources that will make the subject, particularly Artificial Intelligence, accessible to a much wider audience.
• Formula Student – Funding to support a group of students to take part in the Formula Student Competition, an engineering industry standard project that requires engineering students to design and manufacture a single seater race car.
• Healthy Halls Programme - a programme of health & fitness classes, educational workshops and courses run throughout the academic year to encourage participation and awareness of health and wellbeing among students living in University accommodation.
• Access to Internships – will provide funding and training to help selected students or graduates to access paid internships/placements.
• Engineering Student Projects – the aim of this project is to improve the student experience of ‘engineering student projects’ by establishing an ‘Industrial Links Database’ in addition to setting up an online evaluation and feedback interface between project supervisors and students.
• Touching the Past. Archaeological Field School in Roman Devon – As a collaborative venture between the departments of Archaeology, Classics and Ancient History funds will enable and enhance the experience of students involved in the planned excavation and post-excavation of a newly identified Roman site. Funding will support the creation of a digital archive to be used in undergraduate teaching and public outreach.
• Teaching Awards – Funding to support the annual Teaching Awards. The Awards are a vital part of University life; ensuring staff from all departments, campuses and roles have a chance to be recognised by the students they support.
• School Business Enterprise Scheme and Work Experience Development – Funding to create work experience opportunities for our students in partnership with Exeter City Football Club and local schools
• University of Exeter Sporting Stars Education Days - funding for the School of Sport and Health Sciences and the Athletic Union to host educational delivery events to local primary and secondary school children, based around the theme of sport.
• Volunteering in Cornwall-Funding to continue the work of the ‘Volunteering in Cornwall’ project, to encourage History students on the Cornwall Campus to engage in the voluntary sector, nationally and internationally.
• Beating the Blues – self-help support for students with mental health difficulties- supporting a self-help computer programme to help students struggling with stress, anxiety and depression.
• Fives Ways to Wellbeing- this project seeks to apply the “Five Ways to Wellbeing” throughout the University through a series of well-spaced student-led campaigns across all campuses. It will encourage students to think positively about their mental health.
• The Medieval Exeter Hub - Funding will help establish an Exeter Medieval Hub for undergraduate students from a wide range of disciplines who share a passion for all things medieval.
• Art Society Equipment - funding for equipment, including an etching press for the Art Studio in Queens.
• Politics, History and the Challenge of Climate Change- This project will use funds to enable SSIS & the College of Humanities to invite speakers from campaigning organisations involved in the politics of climate change to talk to students taking relevant modules.
• Film Practical Skills Workshop - 18 Film students will be taught and coached how to use equipment and software, with the aim of allowing each group to act as a ‘film unit’ producing a short piece of work centred on an object taken from the Bill Douglas Centre’s film history collection.
• Footlights - Funding to support the production of ‘A Little Night Music’ at Reed Hall.
• BeeSoc Observation Hive - Funding to support the design and construction of a unique, state of the art, high-technology hide containing 2 observation hives.

Please visit our website to find out more about the Annual Fund.  To make a donation and support further projects, visit our online giving pages.