At Science Card, we’ve created a unique account that our customers use to support scientific discovery through their everyday financial activity.
We work with leading universities across the UK to identify high-impact scientific research projects in need of funding, to spotlight on the Science Card app. But how do we decide which research projects make it onto the app and receive funding? In this article, we’ll dive deeper into our criteria that we use to identify the projects that are ultimately brought onto the Science Card app for our customers to explore and support.
Pillars of research
At Science Card, our focus on translational research (ie, research that has the ability to translate directly into real-world applications) revolves around three key pillars: combating climate change, enhancing healthcare, and pushing the boundaries of computational power.
Climate change
As our world approaches a critical turning point in its fight against global warming, never has there been a more pressing need for innovative technologies to prevent and mitigate its impact. Science Card aims to propel scientific discovery in areas such as cleaner energy, the de-pollution of our oceans, and reducing the carbon impact of the way that we eat, shop and travel.
Healthcare
Over our lifetimes, few of us will be untouched by the world’s major diseases, whether ourselves or within our families. Science Card seeks to advance healthcare by supporting projects that push forward our understanding of and ability to treat disease. These projects use cutting-edge research technologies to reshape diagnostics, treatments, and the overall equity of access to healthcare on a global scale.
Computational power
Computational power is essential to scientific discovery. Advances in areas such as AI and quantum computing help underpin research in climate science and healthcare, and reduce the time taken to process their complex calculations and models. Science Card seeks to fund research into the advancement of the power of computing, for the benefit of all fields of science. Recognising the transformative power of computing, we have made this one of our core pillars of research.
Science Card’s missions
Within our three research pillars — climate change, healthcare, and computing — we look for research projects that align to our five missions. This helps ensure that every project we bring onto the Science Card app is contributing towards the causes we — and our customers — are passionate about, and are ultimately helping build a sustainable future.
Mission 1: cleaner oceans
At Science Card, we look for research projects that aim to de-pollute our oceans, whether through combatting plastic pollution or by finding a way to boost sustainable practices relating to plastic and waste. By supporting research towards the mission of cleaner oceans, Science Card’s customers are able to play a crucial role in preserving our vital marine ecosystem.
Mission 2: curing cancer and improving healthcare
Our mission to cure cancer and improve healthcare aligns with our customers’ desire for a healthier future, driving scientific discovery that makes healthcare for our most pressing diseases more effective and globally accessible.
Mission 3: improving soil quality
Science Card focuses on scientific research aimed at enhancing soil quality, as soil health underpins many of the objectives that our customers are most passionate about, such as global food security, and the adoption of environmentally friendly farming methods.
Mission 4: improving smart cities
Smarter, more responsive, and environmentally conscious cities will help address the challenges posed by the rapid urbanisation that the world continues to experience. Our mission to improve smart cities, leveraging computing innovations for urban efficiency and sustainability, aims to mitigate the impact of urbanisation.
Mission 5: achieving net zero
Science Card is committed to aligning with global sustainability goals, directing our funding towards projects that actively contribute to achieving net-zero emissions. The projects that we support in this field undertake research dedicated to renewable energy, emission reduction, and sustainable practices, making a significant contribution to addressing climate change and nurturing a more environmentally friendly future.
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals — and our peer review process
All of the scientific research projects that we showcase on the Science Card app have also been assessed to ensure that they makes a positive contribution to at least one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which “recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth — all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests”.
On top of this, each project is then assessed by our peer review panel. Our panel is made up of around 100 leading scientists, drawn from across the world, who review each research project for its viability, ethics and the uniqueness of its intended discovery.
Each project we showcase on the Science Card app will have undergone a meticulous review process to ensure it aligns perfectly with the our mission and principles. Why? Because we want our customers to be able to achieve their objectives for a sustainable future, focusing in on the particular areas that are most meaningful to them, and helping propel the absolute best in high-impact scientific discovery.
When you use your Science Card account, you’re not just making payments; you’re contributing to a brighter future for us all. By supporting these groundbreaking projects, you’re an active participant in shaping the world we live in.
Join us on our mission.
