Cross-Sector Research Opportunities

We are especially interested in facilitating cross-sector research collaborations with VCSE partners. We awarded £800,000 to scoping research project teams working in the field of Digital Health, focusing on addressing regional unmet health and care needs, health inequalities, and digital exclusion. Each team includes at least one representative of the VCSE sector.

Research Themes

Our funding supports research across four key themes, each grounded in the health and care needs of our region:

Promoting Health and Nutrition for Children and Young People
Supporting Mental Health and Wellbeing
Developing Digital Surgical Pathways
Living and Ageing Well with Multiple Long-term Conditions

These themes broadly aim to support individuals in living well and thriving at every stage of life.

We held eight Research Workshops in September and October 2024 – 2 workshops per theme 2024. The workshops supported the formation of new collaborative research teams who worked together to develop funding proposals. Each bid team was interdisciplinary, cross sector, and involved a VCSE partner.

Funding bids were submitted in November 2024 and reviewed by the NortHFutures Research Board. Awards were made in December 2024 supported by a Board meeting, and funded projects commenced in Spring 2025.

Funded projects

Living and Ageing Well with Multiple Longterm Conditions

Empowering Voices: A Pilot Project Exploring the Impact Of Digital Storytelling On Older Adults With Multiple Long-term Conditions (led by Stephen Dunne, Northumbria University)
Public and Third-sector Research Priorities to Address the Integration of Health and Social Care in County Durham (led by Matthew Cooper, Newcastle University)
Exploring the Role of Digital Health Technologies for Remote Monitoring of Patients with Frailty in NENC's Hospital at Home/Virtual Wards Initiatives (led by Jake McClements, Newcastle University)
Exploring Storytelling Methodologies to Support Young People with Long-term Conditions to Inform Health Service Design and Improvement (led by Clare Murphy-Morgan, Northumbria University)
Co-designing and Piloting a Community Peer Support Intervention for Adolescents and Young Adults with Long-term Health Conditions (led by Flora McErlane, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust)

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Improving Mental Health Services for Young People in Gateshead: Effective Methods for Sharing Information and Best Practices (led by John Young, Teesside University)
Bridging the Gap: Identifying Barriers and Enablers to Marginalised Groups Accessing Digital Mental Health Services in the North East and North Cumbria (led by Joy Shao, Northumbria University)
Digital Influence and Masculinity: The Impacts of Digital Environments on Vulnerable Young Men's Wellbeing and Empowerment (led by Cristina Costa, Durham University)
Exploring the Role of Digital Solutions on Mental Health in Junior Sports: Enhancing Coach Education (led by Adam Coussens, Newcastle University)
What Matters to You: Commissioner-defined Versus Person-centred Approaches to Mental Health Intervention Outcomes (led by Chris Bull, Newcastle University)

Digital Surgical Pathways

Optimisation of a Co-produced Multibehavioural Digital Prehabilitation Intervention for Patients Preparing for Major Surgery (led by Alasdair O'Doherty, Durham University)
Development and Feasibility Testing of BAUS PCNL Outcome Prediction Tool (POPT) (led by Rob Geraghty, Newcastle University)

Health and Nutrition in Children and Young People

Personalised Diet Application for Improving Diet Quality of Older Adults in the North-East of England: Key Competitor Analysis, Acceptability Testing, and Co-design (led by Ellie Hayes, Northumbria University)
Exploring and Evidencing Food Insecurity and Eating Distress in the North East of England (led by Dawn Branley-Bell, Northumbria University)
Improving Health and Education Outcomes for Children and Families with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) (led by John Young, Teesside University)

Learn more about the funded projects:

Click here

Cross-sector research opportunities team

This work is being led by John Young (Teesside University), Yitka Graham (University of Sunderland), Alan Godfrey (Northumbria University),Tim Donovan (University of Cumbria), Hubert Shum (Durham University), and Silvia Del-Din (Newcastle University).

Supported by: Abigail Durrant, Jennifer Wood, Silvia Del-Din, Bernard Corfe, Katie Brittain and Chris Bull (Newcastle University).