South West Race Equity Research Network
News
South West organisations secure funding for race equity research
Tuesday, 14 January, 2025The South West Race Equity Research Network (SWRERN), joined by Bath Spa University in 2022, has secured almost £1million funding to support positive change through research in favour of race equity.
SWRERN is made up of 15 South West organisations. BSU is a key higher education partner in the Network and is represented on the organisation’s Strategy Board.
SWRERN has secured this funding to support its bid to counteract power imbalances in traditional research ecosystems and re-imagine the role of knowledge-production, centring Black and Minoritised people, and delivering tangible positive change.
With a Centre for Research in Equity, Inclusion and Community, BSU shares its interdisciplinary collaborative expertise, aiming to transform learning and lives, alongside the members of SWRERN. The Black South West Network (BSWN), the Community Lead for SWRERN, is a longstanding partner of Bath Spa University. It obtained the funding for SWRERN from UK Research and Innovation, working closely on the bid with BSU’s Research Support Office and the other 13 partners on the Network’s Strategy Board.
Professor John Strachan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at Bath Spa University, said:
“The South West Race Equity Research Network represents a powerful and transformative approach to research, centring black and minoritised communities in the creation and ownership of knowledge.
“At Bath Spa University, we are deeply committed to our long-standing partnership with the BSWN, over years of joint project delivery, and to breaking down traditional barriers in research, ensuring that our work drives important and impactful change for communities across the South West”.
The funding will be used by SWRERN to reach five key goals:
- Building capacity in, and confidence to utilise, research and data in the racial justice community sector, and across the South West.
- Providing resources for SWRERN’s community partners to explore anti-racist methodologies that are appropriate for their geographic areas and communities.
- Supporting SWRERN’s partners to develop technical research skills, and to share learnings from the new explorative approaches tested through the project.
- Exploring digital technology and tools to enable equitable cross-sector knowledge co-production, and models for collective ownership of data.
- Leveraging the Network’s collective power and breaking down the barriers hindering communities’ access to research, data and innovation.
Sado Jirde, Director at Black South West Network said:
“The creation of the South West Race Equity Research Network is a groundbreaking opportunity for the racial justice sector and racialised communities across the South West of England.
"Being funded £1m directly from UKRI, the Network will invest in building the sector’s capacity, ownership and leadership of knowledge-production. It will unlock a new level of exploration around the meaning of research and the role that community knowledge can play in dismantling racial inequalities.”
The funding has been awarded through phase two of the Community Research Networks programme. It has been funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and will be delivered by The Young Foundation, a non-profit organisation that specialises in community research and social innovation.
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive at UKRI, said:
“I am delighted to see the launch the second phase of UKRI’s Community Research Networks programme, in partnership with The Young Foundation.
“At UKRI we strongly believe that research and innovation (R&I) should be by everyone, for everyone, everywhere. This programme offers a step-change in the way UKRI funds R&I to reflect this priority. We are putting money into the hands of communities to tackle the issues that matter most to them.
“I am excited to see how these nine networks will enhance connectivity within and between the UK’s regions, contributing to an R&I system that benefits from diverse expertise and understanding.”
The South West Race Equity Network is one of nine community research projects across the UK that has received funding as part of phase two of this project. Other grantees include a network addressing rural challenges in Durham, and a group researching economic inequality in Belfast communities.
The aim of the Community Research Networks programme is to put communities at the heart of research, awarding grants to organisations that are interested in supporting local people across the UK, and working with them to better understand their valuable role in research and innovation.
Helen Goulden OBE, CEO at The Young Foundation, said:
“We know that local communities and citizens understand local needs best, and are fundamental to tackling complex societal issues. Which is why the Community Research Networks programme is so important. The insights gained from the South West Race Equity Research Network and other local research networks will be vital if we are to work together to tackle some of the persistent and entrenched challenges we face.
“And at a national level, we hope to be actively contributing to a new and evolving infrastructure to support community research across the UK. This is core to The Young Foundation’s strategy, and as delivery partner we are proud to be working alongside UKRI to support this work over the next five years – and beyond.”
SWRERN is made up of: Black South West Network, Bristol Black Carers, Bristol Somali Resource Centre, Chinese Community Wellbeing Society, BeOnBoard, Black Families Education Support Group, Race Equality North Somerset, Voluntary Action North Somerset, Changing Suits, Dorset Race Equality Council, Ubuntu Counselling Services, Plymouth and Devon Racial Equality Council, Black Voices Cornwall, University of Bristol and BSU.
Visit the SWRERN website to find out more about the South West Network, and The Young Foundation website to find out more about the wider Community Research Networks programme.