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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).

Read the Statement

 


Explore our communities

All communities are listed below in alphabetical order, and can be searched using key words or fund type.
Our “Featured Communities” are from the most recent round of Generator funding.

160 results found
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Funds
Types
GW4 Plant Epigenetics Community; Bridging the Knowledge Gap from Models to Crops
Generator
Overview
Here, we will bring together GW4-based academics and partners to establish a new plant science community that aims to bridge the knowledge gap in epigenetics between model systems and crops.
Community lead

University of Bath: Hans-Wilhelm Nuetzmann (PI)
University of Bristol: Sacha Przewieslik-Allen, Keith Edwards
Cardiff University: Tamara Lechón Gomez (co-PI), Hilary Rogers
University of Exeter: Vinod Kumar

Awarded
June 2023
Fertility: In Vitro, in Silico, In Clinico
Generator
Overview
We seek to improve the success rate of In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) through interdisciplinary collaboration between mathematical modellers, experimentalists and clinicians, across GW4 and beyond.
Community lead

University of Bath: Tony Perry
University of Bristol: Deborah Lawlor, Ahmed Elhakeem
Cardiff University: Thomas Woolley & Katerina Kaouri (joint PIs), Karl Swann
University of Exeter: Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova

Awarded
June 2023
Queer Frontiers
Generator
Overview
An events based interdisciplinary community, intent on collaboratively charting the future frontiers of queer research.
Community lead

University of Bath: Fran Amery
University of Bristol: Rosie Nelson (PI), Peter Dunne
Cardiff University: Kate Marston
University of Exeter: Sarah Cooper, (previous CoI: Joao Florencio)

Awarded
June 2023
GW4 MICRO-TIMS
Generator
Overview
We plan to capitalise on an exciting new technology (Micro-TIMS mass spectrometry), and use it to create scientific breakthroughs across a range of disciplines within GW4.
Community lead

University of Bath: Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern
University of Bristol: Daniela Schmidt
Cardiff University: Caroline Lear (PI), Sophie Slater-Lewis, Ed Inglis, Marc-Alban Millet, Morten Andersen
University of Exeter: Clemens Ullmann

Awarded
June 2023
Architectures of Alterity
Development Award
Overview
The Architectures of Alterity Community aim to establish and further expand an interdisciplinary research network for studying historical and contemporary architectures of alterity, or how architectural design may confirm and defy social and cultural orders, and support more diverse and inclusive forms of dwelling.
Community lead

Cardiff University: Dimitra Ntzani (PI), Nick Mols
University of Exeter: Yue Zhang

UWE: Sophia Banou

Awarded
May 2023
GW4 Psychology Network
Development Award
Overview
This community aimed to improve links between academics in psychology departments across the GW4 institutions.
Community lead

University of Bath: Graeme Fairchild
University of Bristol: Christopher Jarrold (PI)
Cardiff University: Katherine Shelton
University of Exeter: Natalia Lawrence

Awarded
April 2023
Island of Ireland Contemporary History and Politics Network
Development Award
Overview
The community aims to bring together GW4 colleagues to collaborate on new research, public and media engagement opportunities related to our research expertise on Northern Irish and Irish contemporary history and politics.
Community lead

University of Bath: Sophie Whiting, Jennifer Thomson
University of Bristol: Neil Matthews
Cardiff University: Thomas Leahy (PI), Huw Bennett, Jonathan Kirkup, Giada Lagana, Eleanor Williams
University of Exeter: Henry Jarrett

Awarded
April 2023
GW4 Library Directors
Development Award
Overview
The community aims to identify new areas for collaboration and shared resources across the GW4 Library network.
Community lead

University of Bath: Kate Robinson
University of Bristol: Ed Fay
Cardiff University: Tracey Stanley (PI)
University of Exeter: James Anthony-Edwards

Awarded
February 2023
LanGW4
Development Award
Overview
LanGW4 aims to facilitate the exchange of good practice in language teaching through their annual Colloquiums on Innovation in Modern Languages Education.
Community lead

University of Bath: Irene Macias
University of Bristol: Vera Castiglione, Chloe Laborde
Cardiff University: Marie Gastinel-Jones (PI)
University of Exeter: Isabel Moros

Awarded
February 2023
CLIMA-Lev
Development Award
Overview
The community aims to gather a cross-disciplinary group of scientists to discuss the impact of climate change on built heritage and bridge the gap between natural weathering and laboratory accelerated aging.
Community lead

University of Bath: Ismale Justo Reinoso
University of Bristol: Fai Fung
Cardiff University: Cristina De Nardi (PI)
University of Exeter: Richard Betts

Awarded
January 2023
University of Bath
University of Bristol
Cardiff University
University of Exeter