All communities are listed below in date order (newest first), and can be searched using key words or fund type.
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 at the links above.
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 £3.4M in 125 collaborative research communities, which have generated £87M in research income. This means that for every £1 GW4 spends on collaborative research communities, GW4 captures an impressive £25 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
All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries with cellulose enhanced solid polymer electrolytes (ALLIANCE)
STEM
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Young people’s self-harm and suicidal behaviour: Developing qualitative research to understand the influence of context and culture
HASS
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Fabrication and Testbed Network for Next-Generation Optical Brain Computer Interfacing
STEM
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Physical, psychological and social factors influencing musculoskeletal injury and wellbeing in Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional students
STEM
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178 results found
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Funds
Types
Bio and Biomimetic Materials
Initiator
Overview
This collaboration brought together three exceptionally strong groupings within GW4 to focus on the design and development of new bio- and biomimetic materials with targeted properties and functions.
Community lead
University of Bath: Paul Raithby (PI)
University of Bristol: Dek Woolfson, Simon Hall
Cardiff University: Niklaas Buurma
University of Exeter: Saverio Russo
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
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
GW4 Medieval Studies
Initiator
Overview
GW4 Medieval Studies aims to fortify its rich resource of medievalists (65 members of staff and over 75 research students) into a cohesive and energetic research cluster that offers an unmatched range of expertise.
Community lead
University of Bristol: Carolyn Muessig (PI), Ian Wei
Cardiff University: Bronach Kane
University of Exeter: James Clark
Awarded
May 2014
Flexible Formwork
Initiator
Overview
This collaboration will bring together experts in structural engineering, serviceability, materials characterisation, durability, sustainable materials, and composites to consider the specific future research required to fully realise this field.
Community lead
University of Bath: John Orr (PI)
University of Bristol: John Macdonald
Cardiff University: Diane Gardner
University of Exeter: Prakash Kripakaran
Awarded
May 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
Composite for Enhanced Lightning Performance
Initiator
Overview
The project aimed to create a GW4 consortium specialising in lightning tolerant composites and coatings, material characterisation and lightning research which could be offered to industry as a key part of the EMC3 Network.
Community lead
University of Bath: Richard Butler
University of Bristol: Fabrizio Scarpa
Cardiff University: Manu Haddad (PI)
University of Exeter: Chris Smith
Awarded
May 2014
Collective Human-Information Interactive (CHI2)
Initiator
Overview
Advances in information and communication technologies – including human-computer interaction, intelligent information processing, “big data” and social media – have led to new possibilities for how people and machines can live and work collectively: making best cumulative use of each other’s strengths and ameliorating each other’s weaknesses.
Community lead
University of Bath: Peter Johnson
University of Bristol: Alex Bentley
Cardiff University: Alun Preece (PI)
University of Exeter: Roger Maull
Awarded
May 2014