GREAT WESTERN RESEARCH
Great Western Research Promotes Research Collaboration
For an overview of our progress to date please see
The GWR Executive Review booklet
- Since it was established in 2006 Great Western Research (GWR) has set about promoting collaborations between the highest quality research groups in the South West and the most forward thinking businesses in order to support the growth of the region and demonstrate just what is possible when HEIs and business collaborate. Many of the projects funded have attracted international interest and recognition due to their leading edge research and breakthroughs in commercial, medical, scientific and environmental applications.
- With 20 research fellowships set up in South West Universities in its original 5 themes, and 130 PhD studentships jointly funded with South West businesses across 6 key themes, GWR is now seeking to build upon the successful implementation of the project and to showcasing the practical ways in which businesses have benefited from working closely with HEIs.
- GWR held their first Annual Research Symposium " Future Imperfect ? " on November 18th to celebrate and demonstrate how clusters of excellence have been firmly established and the benefits enjoyed by the local economy here in the South West and potentially inspire other regions and countries to adopt a similar strategy.
- All of the Symposium's plenary sessions may be streamed as webcasts from the symposium's web page HERE
- A PRESS RELEASE describing the Symposium is available HERE
- CASE studies of a number of our projects are available as pdf files from the links below :
Great Western Research Delivers Postgraduate Training
using the Access Grid
With funding from HEFCE Great Western Research has established a South west regional Postgraduate Training Network using the ACCESS GRID video conferencing system.
This system allows multiway videoconferencing between up to 40 sites and we are using the Access Grid to deliver Post Graduate Training in the theme areas in which we work.
Fully equipped Access Grid enabled seminar rooms have been created at Exeter University , Bristol University, Bath University, and the University of Western England , and a further system in Plymouth University is under construction. Additionally all of the Universities and HEIs in the South west have been provided with desk top licenses to allow them to participate in Access Grid events.
Details of the Access Grid and our systems systems are available HERE.
Details of postgraduate training sessions, seminars and workshops are published regularly on this site, and communicated directly to GWR students.
Archived seminars from the Psychology and Sustainability themes are available by following these links .
The overall aims and some of the expected outcomes of
the original Great Western Research Project
PROJECT Aims
The fundamental concept of Great Western Research is to promote collaborations between the highest quality research groups in the South West and regional businesses in order to attract international interest and recognition and to support the growth of the South West. The provision of research fellowships and research studentships is seen as an effective way to catalyse research partnerships between research groups in SW HEIs and industry. The aims of Great Western Research are:
- To build a strong cadre of research students and staff and to ensure the sustainability of internationally-excellent research in South-West England
- To catalyse the building of partnerships with major research funders
- To build collaborative, interdisciplinary research at the interface of existing disciplines by engaging with SWRDA and business research teams as proposed in the Lambert Report
- To encourage growth in business funded R&D in the South West.
- To prepare the South West region for the technologies of the future and to provide the new technologists to lead change.
PROJECT TARGETS : Direct outputs
We are funding 20 Research Fellowships and 130 PhD studentships and we will train PGR students through a discipline specific training network. We aim to create 100 jobs, mainly through new postdocs appointed to university research projects and into industry. 60 Academic staff will be expected to collaborate with a new industry partner. We hope to stimulate 80 industry partners who have not collaborated with a particular academic or research group previously, and we are expected to support at least 28 SMEs to engage in research projects with South West Universities.
PROJECT TARGETS : Indirect Outcomes 
By the end of the initial 5 year project period we hope to have secured:
- 20 collaborative research projects involving funding from research councils or other research funders arising from the links developed through Great Western Research.
- At least four of these projects should be with international partners.
- We also hope to create two new centres of world-class research excellence arising from the collaborative approach.
- Overall we are hoping to stimulate increase of £2m in research funding from industry over the period of the project.
PROJECT Management
The GWR Strategy and Management Board has been established with Professor Mark Overton (DVC Exeter University) as Chair. The Board has set up six Theme Panels and a Regional Research Board to advise it in making allocations for studentships and fellowships. If you need help or more information please contact GWR team.
For more information on the structure of GWR, Please see the Great Western Research Organisation chart available from this link.
The overall final responsibility for the GWR program lies joint with the Vice Chancellors of bath, Bristol and Exeter Universities.