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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Types
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
GW4 Turning Network – Enhanced Interdisciplinary Collaborations to Build Capacity and Capability in Data Science an AI in the Region
Accelerator
Overview
This activity aimed to support the data science and AI collaborations in the GW4 region and extend the successful interactions with the Turing Institute.
Community lead
University of Bath: Andreas Kyprianou
University of Bristol: Kate Robson Brown (PI)
Cardiff University: Paul Harper, Irena Spasic, Jonathan Gillard
University of Exeter: Richard Everson
Awarded
September 2019
Building a Clinical Academic Training Community Across South West England and South Wales
Accelerator
Overview
By creating a vibrant cohort of young talented clinical academics across GW4 we will significantly enhance our collective abilities to translate our basic biomedical and population health research into an impact on patient care.
Community lead
University of Bristol: John Iredale (PI), Jeremy Tavare
Cardiff University: Paul Morgan
University of Exeter: Tamsin Ford
Awarded
May 2019
SHUSH! A Research Network on Suicide, Homicide and Self-Harm in Parent Carers
Initiator
Overview
SHuSH! is a network of researchers, carers, clinicians, and community organisations working together to develop and conduct world-leading research on suicide, homicide, and self-harm in parents caring for children with disabilities. The acronym SHuSH! reflects the silence that has, to-date, surrounded these issues in research, practice, and policy. Carers who are experiencing thoughts of suicide or homicide, are self-harming, or are otherwise in need of urgent support should contact The Samaritans on 116 123.
Community lead
University of Bath: Katie Maras, Paul Stallard
University of Bristol: Becky Mars, Lucy Biddle, Paul Moran
Cardiff University: Thomas Slater
University of Exeter: Siobhan O’Dwyer, Astrid Janssens (Co-PIs)
Awarded
March 2019
South West Regional Centre for Secrecy, Security & Society Research
Initiator
Overview
The GW4 community aims to establish a regional, national and international centre of excellence in the innovative research area of secrecy and ignorance.
Community lead
University of Bath: Brett Edwards
University of Bristol: Elspeth Van Veeren (PI)
Cardiff University: Claudia Hillebrand
University of Exeter: Brian Rappert
Awarded
February 2019
Stratify & Treat – A New Horizon for Diabetes After 100 Years
Initiator
Overview
The GW4 Type 1 Diabetes Centre of Excellence will reveal the causes of diabetes leading to improved patient stratification and tailored therapies.
Community lead
University of Bristol: Kathleen Gillespie, Alistair Williams, Anna Long
Cardiff University: Danijela Tatovic, Colin Dayan, Susan Wong
University of Exeter: Sarah Richardson (PI), Noel Morgan, Richard Oram, Angus Jones, Andrew Hattersley, Bev Shields, Tim McDonald
Awarded
February 2019
Using Realistic Review Methodology to Investigate Digital Health Interventions for Managing Long Term Conditions
Initiator
Overview
Digital health interventions to support people with long-term conditions: what works, for whom, in what circumstances?
Community lead
University of Bath: Matthew Jones, Charlotte Dack
University of Bristol: Sabrina Grant
Cardiff University: Judith Carrier (PI), Emma Lane, Valerie Sparkes, Roser Beneito–Montagut
Awarded
February 2019
Wales & South West Responses & Preparations for Brexit & UK Trade Policy
Accelerator
Overview
This community brought together academics, business representatives and stakeholders in the region to raise awareness and understanding of the intersections between trade policy and other domestic policies and to consider and identify pathways to influence future UK trade policies.
Community lead
University of Bath: Maria Garcia (PI)
University of Bristol: Clair Gammage
Cardiff University: Jo Hunt
University of Exeter: David Thackeray
Awarded
February 2019
Circular Economy for Affordable, Low Carbon, Secondary Raw Materials
Initiator
Overview
The project focused on materials, processes, technologies and systems to enable up-cycling of industrial waste and agricultural co-products into valuable components, fostering circular economic solutions for sustainable building products.
Community lead
University of Bath: Pete Walker, Stephen Allen
University of Bristol: Steve Eichhorn, Rinat Nigmatullin
Cardiff University: Eshrar Latif, Marianna Marchesi
University of Exeter: Raffaele Vinai (PI), Matt Eames, Peter Hopkinson
Awarded
February 2019