All communities are listed below in alphabetical order, and can be searched.
Our “Featured Communities” are from the most recent round of Generator funding.
Our Communities
Our communities
The GW4 Building Communities Programme aims to build research and innovation communities of scale and capability, delivering a step change in world-class research that could not be achieved by one of the institutions alone. The Programme has two funding schemes:
- The annual Generator Fund which awards GW4 communities up to £20K for 6 month projects (launched in 2020). 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.
- The Development Awards which support new, and advance existing, collaborations across GW4 by funding single activities or resources with up to £5K. This is a rolling scheme, with no closing date.
More details of both schemes, and how to apply, can be found below.
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 £3.2M in 105 collaborative research communities, which have generated £63.4M 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).
Explore our communities
Featured Communities
148 results found
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A Biosocial Approach to Trauma & Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Young People
Accelerator
Overview
Our goal is to leverage expertise from across GW4 in order to achieve a step change of our understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in children and young people, with a particular focus on groups from low and middle income countries.
Community lead
University of Bath: Sarah Halligan (PI)
University of Bristol: Abigail Fraser
Cardiff University: Stan Zammit
University of Exeter: Anke Karl
Awarded
September 2018
A Biosocial Approach to Trauma Research
Initiator
Overview
This community’s focus is on psychological and physical health outcomes for individuals exposed to trauma, and the underlying biosocial factors that contribute to those outcomes.
Community lead
University of Bath: Sarah Halligan (PI)
University of Bristol: Abigail Fraser, Stan Zammit
Cardiff University: Stephanie Van Goozen
University of Exeter: Anke Karl
Awarded
July 2016
A Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Medicines Optimisation
Initiator
Overview
Medicines Optimisation is the name of a relatively recent policy to ensure the safe and effective use of medicines and thus to enable the best possible outcomes. The project aimed to bring together expertise in this area across GW4, to identify the most salient research issues to take forward as a community.
Community lead
University of Bath: Margaret Watson (initial PI, now at Strathclyde)
University of Bristol: Rupert Payne (PI)
University of Exeter: Nicky Britten
Cardiff University: Molly Courtenay
Awarded
September 2018
A Pathway To Net Zero For Road and Rail
Generator
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.
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
Awarded
April 2022
Addressing Gender Based Violence
Initiator
Overview
This community aimed to create a concrete network of GW4 Gender Based Violence researchers to build on existing links across GW4 and identify new and innovative collaborative research opportunities.
Community lead
University of Bath: Tina Skinner
University of Bristol: Marianne Hester (PI)
Cardiff University: Amanda Robinson
University of Exeter: Anthony Musson
Awarded
May-July 2014
Advancing the State of Damage Detection in Metallic and Composite Structures
Initiator
Overview
The aim of this research is to advance the state of the art in damage detection in metallic and composite structures by enabling a modular system approach utilising energy harvesting and wireless communication for industrial applications.
Community lead
University of Bath: Alicia King
University of Bristol: Stephen Hallett
Cardiff University: Carol Featherston (PI)
University of Exeter: Meiling Zhu
Awarded
May 2014
Algal Valorisation and Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage
Initiator
Overview
The overarching aim of this research strategy was to develop an algal-based system for combined remediation and valorisation of acid mine drainage (AMD) and potentially other metalliferous effluents.
Community lead
University of Bath: Christopher Chuck
University of Bristol: Tom Scott
Cardiff University: Devin Sapsford
University of Exeter: Chris Bryan (PI)
Plymouth Marine Laboratory: Mike Allen
Awarded
May 2014
Alternative Urbanisms
Initiator
Overview
This project drew together researchers from social science and humanities across GW4, focusing on three overlapping aspects of the idea of ‘alternative urbanisms’.
Community lead
University of Bath: Roy Maconachie
University of Bristol: Gary Bridge
Cardiff University: Paul Milbourne
University of Exeter: Clive Barnett (PI)
Awarded
May 2014
Applied Volcanology
Initiator
Overview
Across the GW4, we have the expertise to promote the welfare of people in DAC countries by improving their resilience to volcanic eruptions.
Community lead
University of Bristol: Ryerson Christie, Alison Rust, Kathy Cashman
Cardiff University: Wim Degruyter
University of Exeter: James Hickey (PI)
Awarded
July 2017
Avarice: Algal Valorisation & Remediation of Metal Ion Contaminated Effluents
Accelerator
Overview
Our aim was to investigate the use of algae native to contaminated mine sites to remove metals from acid mine drainage (AMD) and then convert the algae to biofuels.
Community lead
University of Bath: Christopher Chuck
University of Bristol: Tom Scott
Cardiff University: Devin Sapsford
University of Exeter: Chris Bryan (PI)
Plymouth Marine Laboratory: Mike Allen
Awarded
October 2014