HOME ABOUT US COLLABORATION FUND PROJECTS PhD TRAINING NEWS CONTACT Collaboration Fund The White Rose Collaboration Fund was launched in October 2008 and is designed to support emerging collaborative activities across the three White Rose universities of Leeds, Sheffield and York. The Fund has supported over 90 projects to date. To learn more about Collaboration Fund please see our report on outcomes and highlights from the scheme, HOW TO APPLY Funded Projects WHITE ROSE MULTIDISCIPLINARY NETWORK ON INFERTILITY IN LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES (HEARTFELT) Infertility is a major yet overlooked health and social care issue, affecting an estimated 48.5 million couples worldwide. Rates of infertility are significantly higher in Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa. Despite the large burden of infertility – especially for women, who are often blamed and stigmatised – policy […] UNLEASHING THE POWER OF INFLUENCER MARKETING TO STIMULATE PROSOCIAL CAUSES There are growing concerns around the impacts of global challenges such as natural or humanitarian crises, technological disruptions, or social movements. These challenges often cause uncertainty and require the support […] INFECTIOUS ILLNESS PRESENTEEISM IN THE AGE OF COVID-19 Presenteeism is defined as attending work in spite of illness. Presenting to work with an infectious illness such as influenza is common and causes problems due to the possibility of […] SLAVERY AND STEAM: STEAM POWER, RAILWAYS AND COLONIALISM The relationship between steam power and global trade is complex, from the adoption of steam power on plantations to the global distribution of materials and products, and the adoption of […] DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES Domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is currently high on the Government’s agenda with a Domestic Abuse Bill journeying through the Houses of Parliament. DVA intersects cultural, religious, gender and ethnic […] ESTABLISHING A REGIONAL CONSORTIUM TO LEAD THE IMPROVEMENT OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE The prevalence of technology in healthcare is rapidly expanding. People of all ages with long-term health conditions (LTCs) increasingly rely on health technology for self-management, with remote clinical support and […] WHITE ROSE EARLY CAREER SCREEN INDUSTRIES RESEARCH NETWORK The White Rose Early Career Screen Industries Research Network (ECSiRN) will consolidate screen industries research in the region and establish a dynamic research community. The term screen industries includes film, […] ESTABLISHING LEUKOLABS.UK 3.5 million patients have rare genetic diseases in the UK. Studies of monogenic diseases are indispensable to elucidate gene function and to understand complex multifactorial disorders. We are a team […] VITAL CIRCULATIONS: A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL DYNAMICS IN AND BEYOND A PANDEMIC The COVID-­19 pandemic has brought into relief the porousness of our bodies, and the importance of pathogenic substances passed between them every day. Meanwhile the global quest for vaccines and […] MEASURING, EVALUATING AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF CARE FOR DYING PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES The concept of ‘a good death’ is individualised and multi-faceted, yet it is something that impacts us all. The importance of providing high quality care to dying patients and their […] VISUAL DYSFUNCTION AS A BIOMARKER OF FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA AND MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and Motor Neurone Disease (MND) are devastating, incurable neurodegenerative disorders. A mutation in the C9Orf72 gene is the most common genetic cause of both disorders. Recently, the first […] BETWEEN POST-COLONIAL SOLIDARITY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY TRANSITIONS AND NEO-COLONIAL EXTRACTION: INVESTIGATING INDIA’S ROLE IN EAST AFRICAN ENERGY LANDSCAPE This interdisciplinary project will investigate India’s growing role in the East African (Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya) energy sector. The last decade has seen an increasing attention on South-South co-operation in infrastructure […] ENHANCING ANALYTICAL CAPABILITIES IN SOILS FOR LOW-CARBON TECHNOLOGIES Soils are essential to a range of emerging low-carbon technologies. In soil chemistry, co-ordination and valence of iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) ions are of great importance across different applications. Iron’s ability to bind organic […] INCEPT – INFORMATED CIRCULAR ECONOMY PRODUCTS Economic, environmental and social imperatives to move from a linear (take-use-dispose) to a circular economy (take-use-reuse) for low value (typically high volume) consumer products form an urgent ‘wicked problem’ requiring […] ORAL HEALTH-WHITE ROSE CONSORTIUM (OH-WRC) Understanding ‘Raised in Yorkshire’ (RiY): its wider influence on health and life opportunities and it’s potential for scalability. Health Need: Dental decay (caries) has a significant impact on children (pain, […] MULTILINGUALISM AND ANXIETY IN PEOPLE WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) Multilingualism and anxiety are core research and policy issues (DfE, 2018). Anxiety disorders, a feeling of unease, worry or fear, are the most prevalent mental disorders and are associated with […] INNOVATING THE FUTURE OF BIO-INSPIRED AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS FOR OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY INSPECTION This project brings together broad expertise to address pressing challenges in biomimetic vehicle capabilities. The purpose of this project is to build a prototype Biomimetic Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (BAUV) for […] SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE AI FOR DISTRIBUTED AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS This project aims to initiate a long-term collaboration and shape a solid ground for a new ambitious research area on socially-responsible robotic and autonomous systems. These systems will be equipped […] LANDSCAPES FOR PEOPLE, LANDSCAPES FOR NATURE How to balance food production, biodiversity conservation, and the cultural values of landscapes. Aim: Establish a long-term, interdisciplinary collaboration to investigate the impacts of different land-use strategies on multiple aspects […] THE WHITE ROSE CHILD & ADOLESCENT SLEEP RESEARCH NETWORK Over the last 10 years there has been a 300% increase in the number of children accessing specialist sleep support from Sheffield Children’s Hospital. The impact of sleep problems in […] DOMESTIC DEBT MARKETS IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES: Who shapes them? What drives them? Who benefits? In the new era of market-based finance, developing countries are developing their domestic debt markets at unprecedented speeds and depths, contributing to […] A PILOT STUDY TO OBJECTIVELY EXAMINE THE IMPACT OF WEIGHT STIGMA ON DIET, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SLEEP Obesity is one of society’s greatest challenges with 2/3rds of UK adults being overweight or obese. Reduced food intake, increased physical activity and improved sleep are key health behaviours in […] FAST AND ACCURATE! FOUNDATIONS AND GUARANTEES FOR ALGORITHMS AND AI White Rose FGAA The aim of the project is to initiate a long-term collaboration (Foundations and Guarantees for Algorithms and AI) providing new algorithms for big data sets and networks […] AI LAW AND ETHICS: THE CHALLENGE OF AI WRONGDOING The aim of this project is to examine how the frameworks we currently use to think about responsibility towards others—including concepts such as harm, wrongdoing, fault, causation, redress, and blame—apply […] OASIS IN A DESERT? THE IMPORTANCE OF ECOLOGICAL REFUGIA FOR LONG-TERM PEATLAND RESILIENCE Peatlands are globally-important habitats, archives of palaeoenvironmental information and carbon stores. However, human activities including drainage, burning, peat harvesting and pollution are having devastating impacts on peatlands (1). Enormous sums […] CONTESTED TERRITORIES: INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOGUES ON CONFLICT, RESISTANCE AND DEVELOPMENT ALTERNA-TIVES IN LATIN AMERICA Recent political changes in Latin America point towards an end of the ‘pink tide’, a return of nationalist, (neo)colonial and neoliberal ideologies, and a shift away from inclusive and sus-tainable […] WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FOR ADULTS WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS (SMI) Severe mental illness (SMI) is described as the “scandal of premature mortality’. People with SMI are 50% more likely to be obese than the general population. There is little doubt […] GRAINS OF FUTURE PAST: USING ANCIENT WHEAT GENETIC VARIATION TO DRIVE CROP IMPROVEMENT There is a pressing need to increase crop yields to feed the rapidly increasing world population, but yields have become static over the last 20 years. In wheat, this has […] ASSESSING FUNCTIONAL ABILITY IN OLDER ADULTS To meet the societal challenge of successful ageing, the WHO recently proposed a focus-shift from disease and symptoms to functional ability enabling wellbeing in older adults (WHO, 2015). Functional ability […] THE VIOLENT STATE IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE As scholars of twentieth century international history, the three lead academics are well-versed in the role played by violence in modern state-formation. Yet while our multilingual research draws on a […] INHIBITION OF THE DNA DAMAGE RESPONSE AS A TARGETED THERAPY IN MYELOPROLIFERATIVE NEOPLASMS. Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) occur when patients acquire genetic ‘driver mutations’ (commonly in JAK2 or CALR) in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) causing aberrant blood cell production resulting in thrombosis, splenomegaly, bone […] INVESTIGATING MITOPHAGY RELATED DRUG MECHANISMS IN PARKIN MUTANT MODELS. This project aims to elucidate the mechanism by which mitophagy occurs in parkin mutant models with relation to Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and parkin […] REFUGIA OF FUTURES PAST Current research suggests that society may not meet Paris Agreement climate mitigation goals to keep global temperature rise below 1.5-2.0 oC, and global biodiversity losses are at accelerated rates similar […] MECHANISMS AND EVOLUTION OF RIBOSOME SPECIALISATION Ribosomes are large macromolecular complexes that perform all cellular protein synthesis. The ribosome was long considered to be uniform in both composition and, consequently, function. However, our understanding of ‘the ribosome’ and translation has been […] IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH BY USING ROAD LIGHTING TO ENCOURAGE CYCLING AT NIGHT This project will provide preliminary data that can support an increase in the number of people cycling, which is a goal for the UK and other governments due to the […] USING RELIGIOUS IMAGERY IN POPULAR CULTURE to explore and challenge everyday sexism, sexual harassment and abuse together with secondary school students Revelations of pervasive sexual harassment and abuse are emerging from numerous settings. Moreover, educational research […] LUTHER AS PHILOSOPHER The aim of this project is to consider Martin Luther and his influence from a philosophical perspective. While Luther has been widely studied by theologians and historians, he has been […] CLCI: CLIMATE–LEAF CHEMISTRY INTERACTIONS Plants cover around 25% of the surface of the Earth and have been central to life on land for over 400 million years. Today, atmospheric CO2 is at a level […] MARGINALISATION AND THE LAW: MEDIEVAL AND MODERN Just like in the modern world, medieval societies contained subordinate groups and individuals who were repeatedly relegated to the margins. While many of these groups have been the subject of […] IMPERIAL AFTERLIVES: THE CRISIS OF NATION AND CITIZEN IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE The end of colonial empires in the twentieth century defined the world in which we live, yet we are only beginning to understand its historical significance. While scholars have long […] WHITE ROSE MUCOSAL DRUG DELIVERY NETWORK Drugs that are used to treat a variety of diseases are most likely swallowed in tablet-form or delivered intravenously to the patient. However, these routes have significant drawbacks, such as […] NEW FRONTIERS OF PALM OIL: TACKLING THE MULTI-DIMENSIONAL DYNAMICS OF PALM OIL EXPANSION IN WEST AFRICA During the past 25 years, global production of oils and fats increased by over 150% and palm oil accounted for most of the increase, ~30% of world production (USDA, 2016). […] UNDERSTANDING SOLIDARITY AMID REFUGEE CRISES Recent refugee ‘crises’ have prompted shifts in discourses and practices about refugee protection in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The provision of sanctuary to refugees is an expression of […] ENERGY POVERTY AND SOCIAL RELATIONS: UNDERSTANDING VULNERABILITY THROUGH SECONDARY QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS This project draws on a large body of existing (under-utilised) qualitative data to investigate the impact of households’ social relations on vulnerability to energy poverty (10 datasets, approximately 500 participants). […] INUNDATION ImproviNg coastal commUNity hazard AssessmenT usIng nOvel experimeNts (INUNDATION) Global sea level is rising and it is likely that the rate of rise will accelerate, significantly threatening coastal communities. The […] MICROBIAL POLLUTION IN WATER SOURCES UNDER EXTREME WEATHER CONDITIONS: MODELLING SEDIMENT-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS The transmission of water borne diseases under extreme weather events is a crucial issue with regard to public health in the UK and worldwide. Microbial pollution of water resources in […] EARLY SLEEP IN CHILDREN AT RISK OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER Lead Academic; Dr Victoria Knowland (York) Dr Heidi Christensen – Sheffield Dr Anna Weighall – Leeds This study has dual aims. The primary aim is to assess the feasibility of […] NOVEL APPROACHES TO TARGETING METASTASIS IN BREAST CANCER Lead Academic: Thomas A Hughes (Leeds) William J Brackenbury (York) Ingunn Holen (Sheffield) Substantial complementary expertise in breast cancer exists across the White Rose consortium, however, collaboration across all three […] EUROPE, MIGRATION AND THE NEW POLITICS OF (IN)SECURITY Lead Academic: Dr Alexandra Hall (University of York) Dr Emma Briant (University of Sheffield) Dr Deirdre Conlon (University of Leeds) European countries face pressing problems in the wake of recent […] ASSESSING THE APPROPRIATENESS OF EXISTING MODEL ADAPTATION METHODS TO THE CONTEXT OF MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES: a case study on Taxanes for adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer in South Africa Project Lead Abualbishr Alshreef (Sheffield) Bryony Dawkins (Leeds) Dr Matthew Taylor (York) Economic Evaluations (EE) […] UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF LOW CARBON BUILDING MATERIALS Lead Academic Katy Roelich Leeds Danielle Densley Tingley Sheffield Carolyn Snell York This project is a pilot study to explore public perception of low carbon building materials. It will investigate […] COMPARATIVE RISKS OF HYDRAULIC FRACTURING FOR SHALE GAS IN THE UK Lead Academic Tom Lynch Leeds Alistair Boxall York Lorraine Maltby Sheffield The potential mechanism for pollution of groundwater from shale gas production is through the contamination of groundwater with hydraulic fracturing […] MAKING MOUTHS: ASSESSING THE INCORPORATION AND SURVIVAL OF BIOLOGICAL SIGNALS IN ORAL BIOFILMS Lead Institution: York: Camilla Spelle Sheffield: Dr Maria E Romero-Gonzalez Leeds: Prof. Deirdre Devine, Our aim is to develop a novel, collaborative, interdisciplinary research network on ancient oral biofilms. ‘Making Mouths’ […] FOSTERING AND SUSTAINING UK, MULTIDISCIPLINARY, FAMILY-FOCUSED CARE ACROSS THE LIFE-COURSE A White Rose collaboration in long-term condition management. Lead Institution: Leeds: Professor Veronica Swallow Sheffield: Professor Penny Curtis York: Professor Yvonne Birks Care of persons with long term conditions (LTCs) […] BRITAIN AND EUROPE: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF ‘BREXIT’ Lead Institution: University of Sheffield: Scott RE Lavery York: Professor Lucia Quaglia, Leeds: Dr CharlesDannreuther Britain’s economic model is characterised by a highly flexible labour market, openness to trade and […] SILENT SPEECH: RESTORING THE POWER OF SPEECH TO PEOPLE WHOSE LARYNX HAS BEEN REMOVED Lead Institution: University of Sheffield Dr Jose A. Gonzalez University of Leeds: Dr Andy Bulpitt University of York: Dr Damian Murphy Every year, some 17500 people in Europe and North […] LOW COST, LONG-TERM MEASUREMENT OF MOTOR ACTIVITY AND REM SLEEP. We will assemble expertise, personnel and facilities from across the WR network to develop and pilot a novel device for inexpensive and noninvasive sleep monitoring. This device has important applications […] OBSERVING A CHANGING ATMOSPHERE THROUGH EDUCATIONAL AIR POLLUTION GARDENS Air pollution levels in the UK, and more widely across Europe, remain high enough to have significant impacts on the natural environment. In particular, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition exceeds thresholds […] WHITE ROSE EARLY CAREER ETHICS RESEARCHERS (WRECERS) WRECERs is a network of early-career researchers at York, Leeds, and Sheffield, who work in ethics (broadly construed to include ethical theory, metaethics, applied ethics, and political philosophy). Three key […] THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC PATTERNING OF SMOKING AND ALCOHOL USE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR CONTROL POLICIES IN ENGLAND Both smoking and heavy alcohol consumption account for a significant proportion of mortality inequalities in England, with lower socio-economic status (SES) associated with higher mortality for tobacco and alcohol-attributable diseases […] HOME OUR GOVERNANCE ACCESSIBILITY LINKS SITE MAP © 2019 – WHITE ROSE CONSORTIUM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | WEBSITE BY DESIGN SOLUTIONS | COOKIES POLICY | YOUR PRIVACY