New seed corn funding award to support collaborative public health research

Fuse and HDRC Newcastle have secured funding from the University Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) to support the development of collaborative research ideas that address Newcastle's public health priorities.

Jointly delivered by Fuse and NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Newcastle, the Researching Together for Impact workshop, brought together researchers, public health practitioners, policy colleagues, local authority staff and other partners to explore Newcastle City Council's Public Health Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and identify opportunities for collaborative research that can help inform policy, improve services and reduce health inequalities.

The workshop reflects Fuse's commitment to connecting research, policy and practice to address real-world public health challenges and generate evidence that can improve health and wellbeing across communities.

Professor Sheena Ramsay, Director of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, and Professor of Public Health & Epidemiology at Newcastle University said:

"We’re delighted to be working with HDRC Newcastle to support new research partnerships and ideas. Developing collaborative research takes time, resources and the opportunity to bring together different perspectives.

"The funding will enable our partners to take promising ideas further, strengthening relationships, exploring new areas for research and progressing projects that respond to Newcastle’s public health priorities. This investment will help generate evidence that can inform policy and improve services, reflecting Fuse’s commitment to working across research, policy and practice."

Supporting the next stage of collaboration

To help turn these discussions into action, UPEN has provided funding for a Researching Together for Impact Seed Corn Award, offering the opportunity to apply for small-scale funding to further develop promising ideas generated during the event.

The funding is available exclusively to workshop participants and is intended to help partners build on the relationships, discussions and research ideas developed through the workshop. 

Turning ideas into impact

The award reflects a shared commitment from UPEN, NIHR HDRC Newcastle and Fuse to strengthening collaboration between academia, policy, practice and communities. Building on the partnerships and ideas developed through the workshop, the funding will support the next stages of co-produced research that addresses locally identified public health priorities and generates meaningful impact.

Find out more:

• NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Newcastle
• Newcastle City Council's Public Health Areas of Research Interest (ARIs)
• University Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Last modified: Thu, 12 Nov 2026 16:26:00 GMT