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
Family Care in ME/CFS
Generator
Overview
This project developed research on family care in ME/CFS.
Community lead
University of Bristol: Lucy Biddle
Cardiff University: Sharmila Khot
University of Exeter: Siobhan O’Dwyer (PI)
Awarded
June 2021
Flood Resilience for the Transport Sector (FR-TRANS)
Generator
Overview
The project aims at establishing a community around urban resilience to adverse weather events, looking at addressing current gaps in assessing and reducing flooding impact to transport networks.
Community lead
University of Bristol: Maria Pregnolato (PI),
Cardiff University: Reza Ahmadian, Man Yue (Arthur) Lam
University of Exeter: Barry Evans, Albert Chen, Slobodan Djordjevic
Awarded
June 2021
Gliasound
Generator
Overview
Investigating the potential of ultrasound stimulation as a regulator of neuroimmune function.
Community lead
University of Bath: Philip Regan (PI)
University of Bristol: Daniel Whitcomb
University of Exeter: Jonathon Witton
Awarded
June 2021
GW4 Menstrual & Mental Health Community
Generator
Overview
This research community will explore how the menstrual cycle interacts with mental health.
Community lead
University of Bath: Melanie Channon
University of Bristol: Gemma Sharp (PI) [note – Gemma has since moved to Exeter]
Cardiff University: Arianna Di Florio
University of Exeter: Anna Murray
Awarded
June 2021
SPIN (Secrecy, Power & Ignorance Research Network)
Generator
Overview
To promote new scholarship, dialogues, policy and improved governance by exploring and deepening understanding of the pervasiveness of secrecy and ignorance (the politics of knowledge (un)making) in contemporary social and political life.
Community lead
University of Bath: Brett Edwards
University of Bristol: Elspeth Van Veeren (PI)
Cardiff University: Claudia Hillebrand, Thomas Leahy
University of Exeter: Brian Rappert, Owen Thomas
Awarded
July 2020
Transdisciplinary Network for Climate Change Education
Generator
Overview
This project will establish a transdisciplinary network involving researchers across university disciplines working with teachers to orient and provide active support for research on Climate Change Education.
Community lead
University of Bath: Elisabeth Barratt Hacking, Lorraine Whitmarsh
University of Bristol: Paul Howard-Jones (PI)
Cardiff University: Christina Demski, Kat Steentjes
University of Exeter: Justin Dillon
Awarded
July 2020
GW4 Neurodevelopmental Neurodiversity Network
Generator
Overview
We are an interdisciplinary group – of university academics (e.g., geneticists, psychologists), neurodivergent people, and third sector organisations – working together towards a step-change in understanding and improving the lives of neurodivergent people and those with neurodevelopmental conditions.
Community lead
University of Bath: Punit Shah (PI), Esther Walton
University of Bristol: Christopher Jarrold
Cardiff University: Lucy Livingston
University of Exeter: Ginny Russell
Awarded
July 2020
GW4 Rhetoric in Society
Generator
Overview
A new research community bringing together scholars from a range of disciplines with a shared interest in rhetorical language in all its forms.
Community lead
University of Bath: Sophia Hatzisavvidou
University of Bristol: Paul Earlie (PI)
Cardiff University: Elisabeth (Lisa) El Refaie
University of Exeter: Helena Taylor and Michelle Bolduc
Awarded
July 2020
GWPore: Porous Materials for Energy, Healthcare and the Environment
Generator
Overview
We aim to create a network of researchers, GWPore, interested in all aspects of porous materials, across all four GW4 universities. This network will facilitate collaborations, applications for funding, mentoring for ECRs, networking, and equipment sharing between groups.
Community lead
University of Bath: Asel Sartbaeva (PI)
University of Bristol: Sebastian Rochat
Cardiff University: Timothy Easun
University of Exeter: Yongde Xia
Awarded
July 2020
Maternity Leave in the UK – A Gender Gap Closing Policy?
Generator
Overview
We will bring together academics from across disciplines and institutions to debate issues surrounding maternity leave provision in the UK and its effect on gender pay gap, and to establish an ambitious, policy-relevant research agenda.
Community lead
University of Bath: Joanna Clifton-Sprigg (PI), Eleonora Fichera
University of Bristol: Susan Harkness
Cardiff University: Ezgi Kaya
University of Exeter: Michelle Ryan
Awarded
July 2020