HEAT@UWE: Bridging the Gaps in Health, Environment And Technology (HEAT) Research

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HEAT@UWE is a phased programme of activities designed to facilitate an interdisciplinary research culture across three areas of research strength at UWE: Health, Environment and Technology. Research in these fields is carried out in the Bristol Institute of Technology (BIT) and the newly formed Institute for Sustainability, Health and the Environment (ISHE). HEAT@UWE seeks to bring researchers from these two multi-disciplinary Institutes together to deliver research with significant economic, environmental and social benefit. The aim is to capitalise on UWE's tradition of applied research and its position of research strength (evidenced in our RAE 2008 results and our position as the most successful post-92 University in terms of RCUK funding). HEAT@UWE has grown out of the recognition that human health and the environment currently have an unprecedented position on national and international political agendas. Environmental issues such as climate change, unsustainable resource use, poor built environments and transport systems as well as public health issues such as obesity, mental illness, and chronic disease are some of the most intractable challenges of our time. Significantly, the role that technology can play in addressing these problems is now being recognised. It can intervene between health and environmental systems (through, for example new sensing technologies, complexity science applications, computation artefacts in real environments or systems to reduce carbon footprints) or it can be used as a means of understanding relationships between health and the environment (for example, through visualisation models or simulations). Whilst the inter-related nature of these issues is largely accepted, research cultures and practices still tend to be discipline-focused and fragmented. Multi- and inter-disciplinary research in these areas is relatively immature, and significant barriers, such as methodological differences, are having an impact on our ability to make meaningful breakthroughs in these critical policy areas.HEAT@UWE is a 3-year programme of activities that uses best practice in collaborative working in academic settings to build on, and sustain, a multi-disciplinary research culture at UWE, and with its stakeholders. The activities have been planned carefully to maximise opportunities for meaningful outcomes from a large and diverse group of researchers. Initially, there is a familiarisation phase to let researchers know what their colleagues do. This includes a large Visions Conference to scope early collaborative opportunities (2 more are held annually), and the development of a number of on-line collaboration tools, such as a directory of researchers and a web-lounge. Then there is a phase of activities designed to support emerging collaborations, through activities including discipline-hopping secondments and exchanges, visits, a multi-disciplinary seminar series and learning laboratories. The Programme then moves to a phase of formalising collaborations and producing outputs, via activities such as retreat days, and a competition for start-up funding. These activities are designed to help researchers from different backgrounds work together and produce meaningful partnerships which can be taken forward.Ultimately the aim of HEAT@UWE is to embed and sustain a multi-disciplinary research culture, to enable us to become a national centre for HEAT research, with an international reputation for excellence. We envisage the Programme will produce new knowledge, products and applications that will benefit society.