New £10 million project launches to build stronger communities across the UK

23rd December 2024

Sheffield Hallam University has been awarded £10 million to lead an ambitious new project bringing together partners from across society to build stronger, more resilient communities.

The Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness (C4) will bring together partners from research, community, policy and civil society to develop and scale up successful community leadership approaches.

Led by Professor Sarah Pearson and Professor Peter Wells from Sheffield Hallam University, the Centre will find and share the most effective community action strategies, providing invaluable insights for both local and national policymaking, to help create equal opportunities wherever people live.

Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as part of its work to create opportunities and improve outcomes, the Centre will examine the diverse landscape of community activities, analysing what works, and what doesn’t. The goal is to establish robust evidence and infrastructure, enabling successful approaches to be scaled up and replicated.

The Centre's research will focus on key areas including:

• Community: where people live and their connections with their neighbours
• Relationships: identifying which social interactions are most meaningful in tackling poverty, isolation and mental health
• Social Capital: looking at the benefits derived from networks and relationships

This ambitious project is led by Sheffield Hallam University in collaboration with regional and national partners - Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface, Darnall Well Being, Local Trust, London Metropolitan University, Queen’s University Belfast, The Brixton Project, University of Stirling, Black Mountains College and The Young Foundation.

Five new hubs, or catapult sites, will be created in Alloa, Belfast, Brixton, Sheffield and Talgarth, to help ensure successful initiatives are captured and shared across the UK.

Sarah Pearson, Professor of Social Research in the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Connected communities are defined as those with high levels of social bonds and cohesion, where people have good relationships, a sense of pride and belonging, and the ability to cooperate within and between places to address challenges and seize opportunities.

“The Centre represents a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between academic research and community action. By working closely with communities and decision-makers, we aim to create a more connected and resilient society.”

Professor Liz Mossop, Sheffield Hallam University Vice-Chancellor, said: “This groundbreaking £10 million project demonstrates Sheffield Hallam University's commitment to driving meaningful social change through research. By bringing together diverse partners from across research, community, and policy sectors, we are creating a powerful collaborative approach to understanding and strengthening community resilience. The Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness represents an innovative model of how universities can work directly with communities to address complex social challenges."This centre is supported by UKRI through its creating opportunities, improving outcomes theme, one of five UKRI-wide initiatives aiming to harness the full power of the UK’s research and innovation system to tackle large-scale, complex challenges.  Through a five-year strategy, ‘Transforming Tomorrow Together’, UKRI aims to harness the full power of the UK’s research and innovation system to tackle large-scale, complex challenges. To do this, UKRI is investing £185 million in five strategic themes which will continue tackling existential threats to humanity by encouraging new ways of working across disciplines.