GW4 Air Network

In the UK, between 28,000 and 36,000 people die prematurely from air pollution every year. Inequality exists in the air quality monitoring network coverage, particularly with blanks in rural areas of Southwest England and Wales. The number of air quality monitoring sites in Wales and the Southwest (n=10 and 13 respectively) is lower than the average number of sites in all UK regions (n=14). There is a lack of resources and capacities in air quality research in the GW4 area, so we are calling for collective efforts to address this public health challenge.  

Since the launch symposium of GW4 Air Network in 2024, we have 43 members (mostly ECR) affiliated to the network and we are still excited to welcome new members to join. In 2025, we will encourage conversation and collaboration through a kick-off workshop, a sandpit, a writing retreat and a reflection workshop. The kick-off workshop will get everyone together to initiate collaborative project design, the writing retreat will assemble teams for both the sandpit and external grant writing, and the sandpit will feature a panel of established researchers and funding managers to award two teams funding (£4K each) for pilot projects and to provide feedback to all applicants. The project also encourages ECRs and non-academic partners to co-create solutions and promote engagement with community members through a dedicated ECR award (£1K) to support research by ECRs.  The funded projects will prioritise the GW4 region.