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GW4 Crucible Seed Projects

Participants of the GW4 Crucible leadership development programme are offered the opportunity to apply for funding of up to £5K to enable them to pursue collaborative projects that have emerged from the programme.

Proposals are favoured which are ambitious and bold and seek to generate innovative, multifaceted responses to global challenges. The project may include (but are not limited to) network building and co-production, collaborative working and stakeholder engagement, scoping studies, experimental data collection, prototype design, and trialling new methodological approaches. Proposals must reflect the theme of that year’s Crucible. We encourage both discrete projects and projects designed to act as a stepping stone to large-scale collaborations.

Past activities have included literature reviews and gap analysis, survey design and delivery, stakeholder identification, workshops and sandpits, lab and desk research, game or app design, and away-days and grant writing.


Explore our projects:

All communities are listed below in alphabetical order, and can be searched using key words or fund type.

36 results found
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Funds
Computing the Student: Developing participatory methods to research digital surveillance in UKHE
Crucible 2023
Overview
Led by Dr Lyndsay Grant (University of Bristol), this group will take a collaborative approach, working with students, to develop a research agenda and participatory methodology for researching surveillance in UKHE, exploring how students understand and respond to HE surveillance practices.
Community lead

University of Bristol: Jessica Ogden, Lyndsay Grant (PI)

University of Exeter: Kuba Jablonowski

Awarded
September 2023
Charting New Frontiers: An Exploratory Expedition and Pilot Study on Chattable Virtual Avatars, Unveiling Ethical and Social Dimensions in Content Delivery
Crucible 2023
Overview
Led by Dr Yipeng Qin (Cardiff University), this pilot study will develop prototype chattable virtual avatars for use by museums and archives, to increase access to their online collections and make visiting exhibitions more interactive, engaging and enjoyable, whilst also exploring the ethical implications of using such technology.
Community lead

University of Bath: Cangxiong Chen, Deborah Brewis

University of Bristol: Barbara Caddick

Cardiff University: Yipeng Qin (PI)

University of Exeter: Peidong Mei

Awarded
September 2023
“My autistic brain”: How neurobiological narratives shape the identity of autistic adults
Crucible 2022
Overview
This project aims to improve understanding of whether and how autistic individuals develop and deploy neuro-narratives. To achieve this, we will hold a public involvement event with autistic adults to find out their understanding of the neurobiology of autism, and how this relates to their identity.
Community lead

University of Bath: Kate Cooper

University of Bristol: Dan Degerman

Cardiff University: Josie Henley (PI), Joanne Doherty

Awarded
September 2022
Establishing a sustainable interdisciplinary network of GW4 university staff to bring about positive change in the higher education community for improved mental health
Crucible 2022
Overview
This seed project aims to establish a sustainable GW4 university staff network from different backgrounds and disciplines to better understand poor mental health (MH) in the higher education (HE) community, what is currently being done and further needs. This project will inform future collaborations and applications for funding to scope, develop, implement and evaluate change interventions.
Community lead

University of Bath: Rachel Paskell (PI), Jeff Lambert

University of Bristol: Myles-Jay Linton, Kate Ash-Irisarri, Kayleigh Easey

Cardiff University: Paula Foscarini-Craggs

University of Exeter: Kate Holmes, Irene Salvo, Chris Sandal-Wilson

 

Awarded
September 2022
Hystories: Amplyfying women’s voices for better outcomes in reproductive mental health – A journey through menstruation, pregnancy and menopause
Crucible 2022
Overview
We aim to understand more about the unique mental health needs of women at key stages of reproductive transition across the life-course. 
Community lead

University of Bristol: Kate Ash-Irisarri, Kayleigh Easey (Co-PI)

University of Exeter: Siobhan Mitchell (Co-PI)

 

Awarded
September 2022
Mental health in schools: Multidisciplinary conversations about what it is and why it matters
Crucible 2022
Overview
In response to rising rates of mental health difficulties among children and young people, the UK government has recently increased its policy focus and funding for mental health in and through schools (DoH & DfE, 2017). However, it is unclear how schools are responding to this policy agenda given ongoing pressure to deliver academic outputs. This exploratory project brings together colleagues from education, policy studies and history, and from three of the four GW4 institutions to develop interdisciplinary conversations and an intersectoral network focused on mental health in education.
Community lead

University of Bath: Rachel Wilder (Co-PI)

University of Bristol: Naomi Warne

University of Exeter: Katie Howard (Co-PI), Eleni Dimitrellou, Chris Sandal-Wilson

Awarded
September 2022
Towards a transdisciplinary archiving methodology for mental health: piloting a ‘time capsule’ of pandemic mental health for now and the next crisis
Crucible 2022
Overview
This project responds to that turn to the past for meaning and security at a time of enormous pressure on mental health. It aims to develop a transdisciplinary methodology for archiving experiences during Covid-19 and a prototype ‘time capsule’, in order to model a low-cost, reproducible, and therapeutic practice of engagement with the past which communities can use to build back better mental health both now – and in the next crisis, whether pandemic, war, or climate breakdown.
Community lead

University of Bristol: Emma Cahill

Cardiff University: Dean Whybrow

University of Exeter: Chris Sandal-Wilson (PI), Kate Holmes, Irene Salvo

Awarded
September 2022
Leveraging human health and environmental sustainability with equality: Identifying opportunities and challenges in approaching a net-zero global food system
Crucible 2021
Overview
The proposed project aims at combining synergies and trade-offs of different sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the process of net-zero food system transformation. Taking advantage of the interdisciplinarity of the project team, we seek to improve the knowledge on pathways towards food systems aligning with the principle of Net Zero as well as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Community lead

University of Bath: Yixian Sun

Cardiff University: Pan He (PI)

University of Exeter: Jesse Abrams, Kristin Liabo, Okechukwu Okorie

Awarded
September 2021
Stories of Hope: Eco-Emotions in Transitions to Net Zero
Crucible 2021
Overview
This innovative project will use co-creation, multi-institutional, interdisciplinary collaboration with GW4 researchers in psychology, geography, environmental biology, earth science and English literature (DS) and young people (aged 16-18) in local schools. We will develop and pilot a workshop exploring eco-emotions, hope and sustainable action.
Community lead

University of Bath: Elizabeth Marks (PI)

University of Bristol: Ed Atkins

Cardiff University: David Shackleton

University of Exeter: Jesse Abrams, Jo Garrett

Awarded
September 2021
Exposure and environmental engagement: A pilot integrating wearable sensors, air quality and citizen science (EXPO-ENGAGE)
Crucible 2021
Overview
EXPO-ENGAGE will conduct pilot interdisciplinary research across GW4 on the impact of participation in air quality citizen science on environmental engagement. This is anticipated to provide a basis for further collaborative bids around air pollution, citizen science and environmental engagement.
Community lead

University of Bath: Daniel Fosas de Pando, Elizabeth Marks

Cardiff University: Rachel Hale

University of Exeter: Jo Garrett (PI), Siân de Bell, Stuart Walker

Awarded
September 2021
University of Bath
University of Bristol
Cardiff University
University of Exeter