Breaking research boundaries

We’re tackling the big issues of today and tomorrow head on.

Abstract image of scientists working with microscopes.

Health and wellbeing

From novel diagnostics to appearance research, we’re tackling the challenges of today and tomorrow, transforming health and wellbeing futures for all.

Health and wellbeing
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Creative industries and technologies

Creativity powers innovation, growth and human progress. Here at UWE Bristol we’re working with industry-leaders to generate new creative futures.

Creative industries and technologies
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Sustainability and climate change resilience

UWE Bristol are tackling the critical issues of sustainability and climate change first hand with their research.

Sustainability and climate change
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Digital futures

Digital is everywhere and touches everything we think or do. Here at UWE Bristol we’re exploring the future of digital.

Digital futures

An active, collaborative research community. Bold, original thinkers, breaking boundaries, immersed in the now, opening the way into new futures.

This is big, brave thinking for a better future. It’s research done well. Research with the power to transform lives, transform the future.  

Ground-breaking research

We are asking ourselves the difficult questions and inspiring others with our areas of expertise.

Person using virtual reality (VR) device.

Creative industries and technologies

Creativity powers innovation and progress. We’re working with industry-leaders to create new futures in everything from film and TV, animation and digital story-telling, games and virtual reality.
Line drawing of the planet representing global network connection.

Digital futures 

Digital technologies will reshape and recode our world. We’re exploring ways of transforming lives, from big data and machine learning to cyber security, from digital ethics to deep fakes and beyond. 
Abstract image of scientists working with microscopes.

Health and wellbeing

We’re living longer. But are we living better? From novel diagnostics to appearance research, coping with dementia to boosting self-esteem, we’re tackling the challenges of today and tomorrow, transforming health and wellbeing futures for all.  

Render showing lush grass and parched ground.

Sustainability and climate change resilience

The future of the planet and our world is at stake and we won’t get a second chance. Net-zero carbon buildings, sustainable mobility, green agriculture, emissions and air quality are just some of the critical issues we are tackling. 

Research case studies

Individual stories that show how we're tackling the big issues head on.

Students creating printworks

Transforming the print industry

Our expert printmakers and digital specialists are helping to craft the future of print for artists and commercial producers.
People sat around a dinner table smiling.

Developing better oral care applications

Our collaborations with global healthcare and tech leaders are helping to improve treatment outcomes for oral care, thanks to improved and novel products.
Water treatment system being tested on Frenchay Campus pond.

Water safety

Innovative methods for improving the quality and health of water, food and people.
Little boy with a craniofacial condition

Caring for craniofacial conditions

The support available for people across the world born with cleft lip or palate has been vastly improved by the work of UWE Bristol researchers.
Houses in the Clifton area of Bristol.

Resurrecting Angela Carter’s Bristol connection

The life and work of one of the 21st century’s most canonical writers have been reconnected to the city of Bristol, amplifying the city’s cultural kudos.
Person sketching in the city

Uplifting visual storytellers

In an era of fake news and disposable media, visual reportage has an increasingly influential role to play, as proven by an award-winning UWE Bristol artist.
Protesters holding placards.

Global boost for alternative film culture

Activists, artists, filmmakers and exhibitors have joined forces as part of the world’s largest alternative film network.
People walking on a street with data layered over the top.

Safeguarding public data

Fresh insights into Artificial Intelligence, are transforming the way confidential data is processed and publicised by UK government and statistical bodies.
The EU and UK flags on the Gibraltar rock.

Navigating Brexit

Studies carried out by UWE Bristol have helped promote and strengthen the position of Britain’s Overseas Territories in the aftermath of Brexit.
Person testing music gloves in a studio.

Wearable technology

Our collaboration with some of the world’s leading musicians is combining artificial intelligence and human motion for a unique take on musical gloves as wearable technology.
Fishing boats shown from a distance in a coastal harbour.

Protecting the marine environment

Investigations led by our experts in marine and fisheries law have played a critical role in establishing proper legal practices and lobbying for greater safeguards.
Children sat in a circle while an adult reads to them.

Critical literacy

Schools across the UK have had their minds opened to the subtle ideologies contained in children’s literature, encouraging a more critical perspective.

A close up of the front of a page in a book.

Art books

Once the preserve of a niche audience, artists’ books have been reframed as a widely accessible art form, connecting artists with fans and collectors.
Group of people sat around a table discussing a document at a meeting.

Re-integrating people who committed a sexual offence

Improving society’s attitudes and involving communities in rehabilitation programmes is key to preventing repeat sexual offences, say UWE Bristol researchers.
Pee power urinals at Glastonbury festival.

Pee Power

Sustainable technology is helping to resolve sanitation and safety issues for thousands of people at schools, humanitarian projects and music festivals.
Graduating students throwing caps in the air.

Social mobility

University students from working-class backgrounds stand a better chance of accessing academic and job opportunities, after research exposed the inequities holding them back.
A driverless car in a dock.

Autonomous vehicles

UWE Bristol experts are taking a crucial role with driverless cars and how they interact with other road users including buses, cyclists and pedestrians.
Statue of Lady Justice in a library.

Protecting liberty: Evidence of failures prompts change in the law

People subjected to pre-trial detention in courts across England and Wales now stand a better chance of a fair hearing thanks to research by UWE Bristol.
Person using a programme on a computer.

Confidential data

UWE Bristol research has led to changes in public data sharing laws around the world after proving that a risk-averse approach was ineffective.
Equipment used in research by Professor David McCalley.

Safer drugs

UWE Bristol scientists' pioneering work has improved hospital treatments for potentially fatal conditions such as tuberculosis and sepsis.
The exterior of Shire Hall in Bristol.

Shifting perceptions of criminal justice

Public engagement in the criminal justice system has been enhanced by our work, thanks to an innovative and digitised approach to capturing the history of the UK’s courthouses.

Yellow foliage photographed against a blue sky.

Radioactivity

New methods for predicting uptake of radioactivity by plants are transforming how the environmental impact of nuclear activity is managed.
Person holding a box and a paper map.

History retold

Traditional top-down approaches to heritage interpretation have been flipped on their head by UWE Bristol experts.
Young woman with pink hair working on a painting while sitting in a wheelchair.

Creative ecologies

We are proud to be part of the South West Creative Technology Network and involved in coming up with creative, sustainable solutions to today’s problems.

Illustration of the thought processes in the brain.

Alzheimer’s disease

Our researchers are working to resolve the challenge of understanding the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s, in an ever-increasing ageing population, with the hope of identifying earlier interventions for the disease.

Cropped shot of a young computer programmer looking through data.

Cyber crime

We are helping authorities worldwide to tackle the ever-evolving problem of financial crime. Drawing on our expertise, we are turning the tables on fraudsters by empowering police forces to intervene.
Aerial view of crowd connected by lines

Digital ethics

We are working to preserve creative freedom after the democratisation of machine learning has opened up a world of possibilities, and ethical conundrums, for the film and TV industry.

Machinery used in the printing process.

Novel print processes

From wearable technology that will give people the power to monitor their health, to futuristic composite materials that will make transport more environmentally sustainable, researchers at UWE Bristol are on the case.

Older person pressing on a button on a screen.

Assistive robotics

We are leading the way in the design of assistive robots, understanding how people and robots can interact intuitively, safely and effectively; and designing and testing robots that will be acceptable and enjoyable to use.
Group of children looking happy

Body image

Our researchers have been working with Unilever on the Dove Self-Esteem Project global education programs, addressing the psychological, social, cultural and resource-based challenges to improving self-esteem and body image among young people.
Traffic jams in the city.

Air quality

We are working with policymakers and community groups across Europe, putting people at the heart of environmental change, to facilitate lasting change to the world’s air pollution crisis.

Cyclist commuter wearing a pollution-mask in Central London, while commuting to work in the morning.

Cycling

Our experts in transport policy are working internationally to bridge the gaps in cycling infrastructure to bring the many advantages of cycling to our cities.

Young developer working on laptop and virtual reality glasses.

Virtual realities

Our researchers are helping to steer the emerging field of virtual reality and the critical questions asked around power, responsibility and creative potential in a positive direction.

3D printing of ceramics

3D printing of ceramics

UWE Bristol's innovative ceramic 3D printing material has helped ceramic tableware companies improve their industrial processes.
Community local news

Community local news

UWE Bristol research has informed the BBC and community groups in working together to widen the range of voices in local news.
Engagement with education

Improving young people's engagement with education

Research at UWE Bristol has stimulated new partnerships between universities, colleges and schools.
Next generation flight design

Next generation flight design

'Onto REM' combines cutting edge requirements alongside project and business timelines, shaping the next generation of aircraft.
Children's literature

Promoting children's literature

UWE Bristol research has had a major influence on the teaching, reading and writing of children’s literature, at home and abroad.
Graduates

What graduates do we need

Researchers from UWE Bristol collaborated to create a classification scheme to analyse graduate employment.
Terraced housing in Bristol

Shaping sustainable suburbs

A research team at UWE Bristol have taken an in-depth look at the risks suburbs face, joining forces with residents to test ideas and create change.
Prosthetic legs

Improving the design of prosthetic legs

Helping to develop a more comfortable prosthetic socket for Paralympics hopeful Tania Goddard, part of Team GB.
Measuring solid objects

Measuring solid objects automatically

Innovative techniques developed at UWE Bristol for measuring the dimensions of difficult solid objects automatically are now being used commercially.
Treatment

A germ that can speed up leukaemia treatment

Our researchers have harnessed the glow-in-the-dark properties of bacteria to help some leukaemia treatment sufferers.

Labour productivity

Improving labour productivity

Insights from research at UWE Bristol have informed ambitious policies that are fuelling regional economic growth.
Construction

Collaborative culture in construction

A team from UWE Bristol produced a ground-breaking toolkit to reduce costs and improve performance.
Improving people management

Helping managers improve operational performance

Research at UWE Bristol has highlighted the importance of front-line managers in their role as people managers, benefitting leading organisations.
Minimum wage

Influencing the minimum wage

Research conducted by the Bristol Business School has been used to shape the setting of and compliance to the minimum wage.
Biofilm model systems

Biofilm model systems

A system developed at UWE Bristol to measure the growth rate of microbes has been adopted by companies for healthcare products.
Careful talk saves lives

Careful talk saves lives

UWE Bristol research has led to improved teamwork between healthcare professionals during hospital emergencies.
Human trafficking policy

Changing policy on human tafficking

Research at UWE Bristol has influenced policy on human trafficking and improved the human rights of exploited migrants.
Children's communication

Helping children with impaired communication skills

The findings from UWE Bristol research into children's communication have directly influenced major policy reports and have improved therapy practice.
Sensing our health

Sensing our health

UWE Bristol researchers are developing cutting-edge technology called ‘magnetic-biosensors’ to accurately detect biological molecules.

Research, Business and Innovation (RBI) blog

Keep up to date with all of our innovative research via our blog.

RBI blog
Headshot of Professor Martin Boddy, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise

"Our ambition is quite simply that, through our outstanding research with real-world impact, we will transform futures. Our aim is to advance knowledge, support sustainable economic growth, enhance social and cultural development, promote health and wellbeing, pursue equality and diversity, and raise the quality of built and natural environments."

Professor Martin Boddy, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise

Professor Martin Boddy Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise

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