Our Communities
The GW4 Building Communities Programme aims to build research communities of scale and capability that will deliver a step change in world-class research that could not be achieved by one of the institutions alone.
In 2020, we launched Generator funding which awards communities up to £20K for 6 months. This replaced the Initiator (up to £20K for 5 months) and Accelerator (up to £75K for 8 months) funding schemes, which ran from 2014 – 2019. Building Communities Funding supports both the creation of new GW4 communities and the development of the strongest ideas emerging from our existing communities, and is open to any academic area.
To date, the GW4 Alliance has invested over £3.1m in 112 collaborative research communities, which have generated £62.8M in research income. This means that for every £1 GW4 spends on collaborative research communities, GW4 captures an impressive £20 in external research awards.
Research Integrity
The GW4 Alliance has adopted the Russell Group Research Integrity Statement of cooperation in cross-institutional research misconduct allegations, which aims to support the efforts of researcher communities to foster research integrity (also known as good practice in research or the responsible conduct of research).
Building communities generator Award (Round 3) Funding Call
CLOSED The third round of the Generator Fund closed in February 2022. Applications for the fourth round of the Generator Fund will open again in late 2022. For more information, or to be informed about when applications open again, please contact the GW4 Building Communities Manager (Harriet Mills) at communities@gw4.ac.uk.
Explore our communities
Explore our research communities by award type or activity group. (All communities are also listed below in order of award date with newest first).
HASS
STEM
A Pathway to Net Zero for Road and Rail
Generator fund
Awarded: April 2022
Community Lead:
University of Bath: Meng Meng
University of Bristol: Theo Tryfanos
Cardiff University: Liana Cipcigan (PI), Omer Rana, Carol Featherstone, Clarice Bleil de Souza, Bettina Bockelmann-Evans
University of Exeter: Stewart Barr, Christopher Smith
Project Overview:
Pathway to Net Zero for Road and Rail multidisciplinary network vision is to build future of transport and mobility to enable the movement of people and goods through a net zero, resilient, digital, connected, accessible and inclusive system, creating opportunities, promoting innovation and sustainable development, while reducing inequalities at local, regional, and national levels.
Circular Economy of Timber Buildings
Generator fund
Awarded: April 2022
Community Leads:
University of Bath: Will Hawkins, Andrew Shea, Daniel Maskell, Pete Walker
University of Bristol: Eleni Toumpanaki (PI)
Cardiff University: Steve Coombs, Tristram Hales
University of Exeter: Anna Harper
Project Overview:
A cradle-to-cradle and multidisciplinary approach for affordable timber housing in the UK.
GW4 Epilepsy Community
Generator fund
Awarded: April 2022
Community Lead:
University of Bath: Alain Nogaret
University of Bristol: James Hodge (PI), Edgar Buhl,
Cardiff University: Dmitri Sastin
University of Exeter: Doretta Caramaschi, Jen Creaser, Benjamin Houser
and Silvia Sanchez Marco from Bristol Children’s Hospital
Project Overview:
We aim to improve research models, diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.
GW4 PuP Community: Performance under Pressure
Generator fund
Awarded: April 2022
Community Leads:
University of Bath: Rachel Arnold (PI), Lee Moore
University of Bristol: Peter Turnbull,
Cardiff University: Rob Honey
University of Exeter: Sam Vine
Project Overview:
This community will bring academic experts and external partners together through this and subsequent funding to deliver a step-change in police occupational stress research; produce world-leading, interdisciplinary research; apply collaboratively for grants; and begin tackling the negative effects of stress on police officers’ performance, health, and well-being.
GWAPES (GW4 AMR Plasmid Epidemiology and Surveillance)
Generator fund
Awarded: April 2022
Community Lead:
University of Bath: Ed Feil (PI), Tiffany Taylor, Sam Sheppard, Lauren Cowley, Theresa Smith
University of Bristol: Rachel Kwiatkowska, Matthew Avison, Kristen Reyher, Sion Bayliss
Cardiff University: Eshwar Mahenthiralingum, Laura Rushton, Tom Connor
University of Exeter: Aimee Murray, Rob Beardmore, Will Gaze, Anne Leonard, Michiel Vos, Ivana Gudelj, Angus Buckling
Project Overview:
The project focuses on managing the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by exploring how the genes spread on plasmids between different bacterial strains, different ecological settings, and different geographical regions.
Technology-Enabled Circularity (TEC): Digitalisation and Sustainability in Manufacturing
Generator fund
Awarded: April 2022
Community Leads:
University of Bath: Rick Lupton
University of Bristol: Jennifer Johns (PI)
Cardiff University: Aris Syntetos, Daniel Eyers
University of Exeter: Okechukwu Okorie
Project Overview:
An interdisciplinary network bringing together expertise in digital manufacturing and circular economies to build more sustainable manufacturing futures.
Understanding use of Agricultural Azoles and its Impact on Quality of Waterbodies and AMR
Generator fund
Awarded: April 2022
Community Leads:
University of Bath: Neil Brown
University of Bristol: Susan Conlon, Arleen Kristhel Lezcano
University of Exeter: Dhara Malavia (PI), Ray Chan, Aimee Murray, Andrew Jones
Project Overview:
This project aims to understand use of azole fungicide in arable farmlands in Southwest England and determine its impact on quality of waterbodies and AMR.
Family Care in ME/CFS
generator FUND
Awarded: 2021
GW4 community leads
University of Bristol: Lucy Biddle
Cardiff University: Sharmila Khot
University of Exeter: Siobhan O’Dwyer (PI)
Project overview
This project will develop research on family care in ME/CFS.