All communities are listed below in alphabetical order, and can be searched using key words or fund type.
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:
Featured Projects
Charting New Frontiers: An Exploratory Expedition and Pilot Study on Chattable Virtual Avatars, Unveiling Ethical and Social Dimensions in Content Delivery
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Panic around pandemics: A case study for applying natural language processing to historical archives to identify patterns of discriminatory language
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Reshaping Learning in the Digital Era – How Does ChatGPT Affect Our Learning Performance, Experience and Attitude
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ARTiD (Artificial Intelligence for Dementia)
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Computing the Student: Developing participatory methods to research digital surveillance in UKHE
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32 results found
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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
“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
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
Developing experimental and theoretical models to study antimicrobial resistance and resilience in polymicrobial biofilms
Crucible 2020
Overview
Overall, the work will establish a versatile framework to investigate antimicrobial efficacy and antimicrobial resistance evolution in diverse PMBs. Additionally, the project will facilitate sharing of experimental and theoretical expertise across the GW4 network and lay the foundation for larger funding applications in the future.
Community lead
University of Bath: Jonathan Nzakizwanayo
University of Bristol: Seána Duggan, Nihal Bandara
University of Exeter: Tobias Bergmiller (PI), Alessandra Da Silva Dantas, Jehangir Cama, Wolfram Moebius
Awarded
September 2020
Building a communicative pathway to reduce AMR; a study of cattle farmers’ perceptions of on-farm E.coli infections in the UK
Crucible 2020
Overview
We will develop a programme of work focusing on the co-production of knowledge between researchers and farmers to promote prudent antimicrobial usage and desirable disease management practices on farms. We use E. coli prevalence and antimicrobial resistance data aggregated from contemporaneous literature to produce a detailed transmission model of E. coli and antibiotic resistance on the UK cattle farm environment.
Community lead
University of Bath: Sion Bayliss
University of Bristol: Ross Booton, Jonathan Tyrrell
University of Exeter: Ray Chan (PI)
Innovation for Agriculture: Lisa Morgans
Awarded
September 2020
Precision Maggot Therapy Against Key Cystic Fibrosis Pathogens
Crucible 2020
Overview
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited life-limiting disease exacerbated by chronic lung infections. People with CF require frequent and aggressive antimicrobial treatments throughout their life. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is therefore of great concern for CF patients and new therapies are urgently needed. This project proposes an ambitious pilot study to investigate a personalised alternative treatment against key bacterial and fungal CF pathogens.
Community lead
University of Bath: Neil Brown
University of Bristol: Jonathan Tyrrell
Cardiff University: Manon Pritchard, Rebecca Weiser
University of Exeter: Philip Mitchelmore (PI)
Awarded
September 2020
Exploring antibiotic use practices in livestock production through a novel, game-based approach
Crucible 2020
Overview
Working with stakeholders (especially farmers in South West England & Wales), this project explores the potential of applying game design features (e.g. goal setting, scoring systems) to investigate antibiotic use practices.
Community lead
University of Bristol: Robert Hughes (Co-PI)
Cardiff University: Nervo Verdezoto
University of Exeter: Matthew Lloyd Jones (Co-PI), Aimee Murray, Max Barnish
Awarded
September 2020
