How NTU is helping the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic

Universities across the UK have set up the #WeAreTogether campaign to showcase all the ways institutions are helping the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

NTU is within the leading universities in the country that are working to support students’ learning and wellbeing during the current situation.

This campaign also nominates universities across the country that are helping the community to overcome difficulties they have been facing since the pandemic.

One of the earliest initiatives was the partnership with the University of Nottingham to supply 16 machines to support the national Covid-19 testing programme following a request following a request from the Prime Minister.

Professor Nigel Wright, Deputy Vice-Chancellor – Research and Innovation at NTU, explained how the university is helping national and local efforts to reduce the impact of COVID-19.

He said: “We have also been collecting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from across NTU and providing this to the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group for distribution across health and social care facilities in the city and county.

“Colleagues across several schools are using 3D printing capability to produce the components for face masks.

“We have worked with external partners to ensure that these are certified for use in clinical and social care situations, and are now able to increase production.”

Nottingham Trent University has also donated all the produce from its vertical farm to help feed the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vertical farms are run by Professor Chungui Lu and colleagues at the University’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences. The glasshouse and ‘shipping containers’ are capable of producing natural crops which are more nutritious, have far bigger yields and faster harvest cycles.

Professor Chungui Lu said: “These vertical farms have been created to help the world tackle situations which threaten global food security, so it is only fitting that we use our crops to help society in a time of crisis.  

“In this instance we were very happy to give the food to a local group working hard to support homeless people in Nottinghamshire.”

The protected vertical farming uses a variety of innovative and automated feeding and environmental control systems to create perfect growing conditions all year round.

Boxes of pak choi, spinach, swiss chard, lettuce, coriander and basil were given to Tracy’s Street Kitchen, a small team of chefs who make and distribute food to people living on the streets.

Founder of Tracy’s Street Kitchen, Tracy Dickinson, said: “We’re currently putting together care packages and we’ve already used some of the produce in dishes like curry and sausage and mash. Nothing will go to waste.

“My message is for people to stay strong and be positive, and a big thank you to everyone who is supporting us.”

By Olimpia Zagnat