The amazing generosity of two alumni has taken the University of Southampton’s Coronavirus Response Fund to over half a million pounds.
A donation of more than £168,000 from Dr Alison Steele and Stefan Cross QC, who met at the University in the 1980s, will provide important funding to bring the University’s PeRSo project, a unique personal respirator, to healthcare and other key frontline staff tackling COVID-19 in communities around the world.
The generous donation comes from Action 4 Equality, which Stefan set up in 2005. Stefan said: “Getting quality protective equipment to frontline staff who are fighting this pandemic, no matter where they are in the world, is incredibly important, and something we feel strongly is a human right.”
The project was initiated by Professor Paul Elkington, a consultant and professor in respiratory medicine at the University, together with Professor Hywel Morgan and colleagues in Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) and Engineering.
Professor Elkington said: “We are incredibly grateful for the generosity shown by Alison and Stefan with this wonderful donation that will enable us to continue to develop the respirators for healthcare and other workers, such as care home staff, in the UK and abroad.”
Watch the short video below from Professors Elkington and Hywel about their work on PeRSo:
Nearly three months have passed since the launch of the Southampton Coronavirus Response Fund, and the generosity shown by the whole University community in that time has been overwhelming. This incredible support is enabling Southampton to advance its research and provide much-needed funding to students during the pandemic. Find out more about the Fund here.