Get Involved Awards 2027

Get Involved! Research together for sustainable solutions with the Get Involved Awards
2023 Get Involved Awards 

Get Involved Awards 2027

Get Involved! Research together for sustainable solutions with the Get Involved Awards
The call for expressions of interest from community groups to set out their ideas is now open (closes Tuesday 4 August 2026):
For further enquiries, please email getinvolvedawards@plymouth.ac.uk
Do you have a local issue that needs researching? Have you got a problem in your community that you want to resolve, or an idea to help the city? You can get involved in community research with us!
Community groups, charities and social enterprises can apply to work with sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½â€™s researchers, to better understand a problem in their local area and to gain valuable insights. By developing new projects, we aim to build a network of community groups working with academics to exchange ideas and respond to real community challenges for our city in 2027 and beyond. 
Get Involved Awards 2027 will award up to six projects and receive between £6,000 to £8,000 per project, paid to their research team to fund researcher and project costs.

Get Involved Awards can help communities to:

  • HSolve problems or identify opportunities

  • HCreate partnerships between researchers and communities

  • HSupport community investment in the city

  • HProvide new training and learning opportunities

  • HLink with other like-minded organisations in the city

What’s the process?

The Get Involved Awards application process follows five key steps to capture the problem or challenge, match researchers to organisations and enable co-creation of research in the city by making funding awards. 
Applicants and award winners will be supported throughout the process by the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Public Engagement Team.

The five-step process

  • .

    1. Send us your completed Expression of Interest

  • H

    2. Expression of Interest checked for eligibility

  • A

    3. Expression of Interest matched to researcher

  • Ç

    4. Co-create application with your researcher and submit to us

  • [

    5. Awards made and project commences

2026 Award Winners

Bartosz Zaniewski
Dr Bartosz Zaniewski with Circles South West – Talking Prevention: Community Learning Keeping Children Safe 
This project engages local communities in exploring attitudes toward preventing child sexual abuse through early intervention with at-risk adults. It aims to understand perceptions, reduce barriers, and build confidence in preventative approaches, while generating insights to inform the development of Project Guardrail. The work is delivered collaboratively by Circles South West, the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½, a CSA prevention specialist, and community partners including local hubs and leaders in Ernesettle, Honicknowle and Stonehouse.
Kathrin Paal
Dr Kathrin Paal with Age UK Plymouth – Growing Together: Designing a garden through intergenerational co-production
Growing Together is an intergenerational project that brings older adults from Age UK Plymouth and local preschool children together to co-design a shared garden space. It aims to reduce social isolation, enhance wellbeing, and develop a sustainable model for inclusive intergenerational practice through creative, accessible sessions. Delivered by Age UK Plymouth in collaboration with Dr Kathrin Paal, the project works closely with staff, participants, and families to co-produce both the garden design and practical resources for future implementation.
Mark Holton
Dr Mark Holton with Joy-Led Urbanism CIC – Researching the Viability and Partnership Infrastructure of a Youth-Led Living Lab for Inclusive Urban Co-Design in Plymouth
Focusing on youth inclusion in urban development, this project develops a youth led Living Lab in Plymouth by engaging young people aged 18–26 as co-researchers and designers. It aims to address gaps in youth participation, build evidence for inclusive, participatory approaches, and create a replicable framework for engagement. Delivered with the sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and city partners, it works closely with young people and local institutions to co-design solutions that strengthen civic participation and shape more inclusive urban spaces.
Katherine Gulliver
Dr Katherine Gulliver with Autism Plymouth Parent Support Group (APPS) – SENSE Plymouth: Sensory Education, Needs, Support and Empowerment
This project explores how sensory processing is understood by families and school staff in Plymouth and how this shapes children’s engagement, inclusion and emotional regulation. It aims to identify knowledge gaps, improve understanding, and evaluate the impact of workshops designed to build confidence and inclusive practice. Delivered collaboratively by APPS, as part of the National Autistic Society, an Occupational Therapist, and sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ researchers, the project works closely with parents, carers, school staff and local schools to co-produce evidence that informs more equitable, sensory informed support.
Goodtime Okara
Dr Goodtime Okara with Shelter, the National Campaign for Homeless People – Nipping It in the Bud: Preventing the Letting of Damp and Non-Habitable Housing in Plymouth’s Private Rented Sector
Addressing damp and unsafe housing in Plymouth’s private rented sector, this project focuses on shifting enforcement from reactive to preventative approaches. It aims to analyse legal and practical barriers, capture tenants’ lived experiences, and identify effective strategies such as licensing. Led by a sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ researcher, Dr Goodtime Okara, with Shelter Plymouth, it works collaboratively with private renters, Plymouth City Council, Citizens Advice and local organisations to co-produce a community-led policy framework to improve housing standards and wellbeing.
Oliver Beer
Led by Dr Oliver Beer with Dr Bartosz Zaniewski and M.A.N.Culture (CIC) – Unmasking Allyship: Investigating the Impact of Masculinity on Adolescent Male Relationship Dynamics and VAWG Prevention in Plymouth
Focusing on how adolescent boys in Plymouth understand masculinity, the work explores how these perceptions shape relationships and attitudes toward the safety of women and girls. It aims to identify the social and psychological drivers of bystander behaviour, evaluate engagement approaches, and co-develop a prevention curriculum for schools. Led by M.A.N. culture, it collaborates with Plymouth Argyle FC Youth Team, local schools, young people, and community stakeholders to generate locally informed insights for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) prevention.

Hear from our researchers and communities

Ivybridge Brewing Company with Deanna Gallichan
Whitleigh Community Trust with Alejandro Veliz Reyes
Citizens Advice South Hams with Nigel Jackson
Barbican Theatre Plymouth with Sarah Blissett
Citizens Advice Plymouth with Ulrike Hohmann and Rebecca Carter Dillon
Headway Plymouth with Alyson Norman

Previous award winners

2027 will mark the sixth year of inviting communities to apply to work with our researchers to find sustainable solutions to community problems, challenges and new ideas through research. We funded six projects in 2026, from a range of community and researcher partnerships. 
2022 Get Involved Awards