Welcome to the GW4 Newsletter: your digest of GW4 news, funding and development opportunities.
Director's Update:
I am delighted to share with you my first Director’s update in the GW4 newsletter since joining the GW4 Alliance. I look forward to working with many of you, getting to know you better and keeping you updated on our collective achievements and the exciting opportunities ahead.
Since 2013, GW4 has united the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter to drive collaborative, cross-institutional, interdisciplinary training, research and innovation.
Our shared vision is simple: by combining our expertise, infrastructure, and people, we can tackle challenges that no single institution — and indeed no single region — can solve alone. Together, we are greater than the sum of our parts, and I am tremendously excited to play my part in this shared journey and lead GW4 into its next exciting chapter.
Many of you will no doubt have read the UK government’s recently published Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which highlights the vital role that collaboration and innovation between institutions, industry and government will play in driving economic growth and addressing the UK’s skills needs.
With strengths across a wide range of areas, our research partnership has already demonstrated its ability to collaborate in this way, and I believe that the GW4 Alliance has a significant role in responding to this agenda. I was delighted that GW4 recently had the opportunity to showcase its achievements at two recent events - the GW4 Innovation Showcase in Westminster, and our presence at Y Farchnad in the Senedd Cymru.
I look forward to continuing to explore how GW4’s collaborative approach to research and innovation can help to drive positive change and deliver lasting impact. I am also pleased to announce the launch of a new round of the GW4 Generator Fund. This flagship seed funding programme offers awards of up to £20,000 to support innovative, collaborative research at its earliest stages, helping ideas to grow into ambitious, high-impact projects.
Recipients are encouraged to use their award as a stepping stone for larger-scale external funding and a number of our past communities – such as researchers from 4M and the Circular Economy of Timber Buildings- have gone on to achieve significant funding successes.
Please read on for further details, and do share this important opportunity with anyone who may be interested. For now, please enjoy the latest version of our newsletter, which is filled with a host of opportunities, exciting updates and some upcoming events. Read the full newsletter here.
With best wishes,
Melanie Knetsch
GW4 Alliance Director
