McMaster University, Ontario, Canada

The University has been working closely with McMaster since 2021, when we forged a new partnership based on collaboration in education and research.

McMaster University is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world, so is a prestigious partner for the University on a global scale. It ranks highly for its medical education offering and has established a hub in Canada for research in pandemics and biological threats. This creates natural overlaps between the 2 universities, with Liverpool being a recognised leader in the field of infectious disease research and being home to the Pandemic Institute.

Our research collaboration with McMaster sets out to address global health challenges across life stages, from pediatrics to healthy ageing and resilience. Both institutions have particular strengths in ageing science and social science, and in health policy, health inequalities and regulation of healthcare. McMaster sits on Lake Ontario in the port city of Hamilton and there is common ground with Liverpool in the fields of supply logistics and minimising the carbon impact of port activity.

In 2022 a Memorandum of Understanding was established for greater collaboration between McMaster’s Global Nexus and Liverpool’s Pandemic Institute. Health, medicine and life sciences are significant strengths of each university and the development of strategic collaboration in these areas is planned through pump priming and fellowships at PhD level. 

The Liverpool - McMaster Research Seed Fund

This seed fund was launched in February 2024. The Fund aims to catalyse research collaborations in complementary research areas leading to funding applications, including through the International Science Partnership Fund, and world-class research outputs.

Priorities for the first round of funding include a wide range of health-related areas, social sciences as well as research relevant to ports, for example, supply logistics, transportation, economic development, net zero and sustainability.