Unfortunately, this has led to significant and widespread negative impacts on health, wellbeing, society and the economy. Negative consequences are disproportionately experienced by our least affluent, undeserved communities. This further widens inequalities and has a net negative effect on population health and social cohesion.
Sheffield Hallam University’s Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre opened in 2020 and employs a unique model of collaboration, co-production and systems thinking to address the challenge of physical inactivity. We bring communities, businesses, clinical services and the public sector together with academic expertise in health, engineering, robotics, software design, psychology, sport and exercise science and the arts to create meaningful partnerships that co-produce innovations that help people move.
Read more about the AWRC’s background
Our Vision
To transform lives through innovations that help people move.
Our Mission
To prevent and treat chronic disease and tackle inequalities in society through world-leading research and innovation into physical activity.
Our Facilities
Located in the East End of Sheffield between Attercliffe and Darnall, our purpose-built facility is designed to facilitate collaboration and foster innovations from conception to commercialisation. It includes:
- Incubation and co-working spaces to encourage the convergence of ideas, disciplines and sectors.
- Rapid prototyping facilities, maker-spaces and manufacturing workshops to bring innovations to life.
- State-of-the-art laboratories for movement analysis, design engineering, physiology, morphology, applied computing, robotics and wearable sensors.
- A fully NHS-compliant clinical floor, from which partners deliver services such as physiotherapy, physical activity therapy, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and cancer pre- and rehabilitation.
- A physical activity suite in which patients, clinical services and researchers can work together to develop innovative programmes and interventions.
Read more about our facilities and take a virtual tour
Our Structure
To achieve our vision and mission, we align our work around five strategic pillars:
Research in Physical Activity
Bringing together interdisciplinary academic expertise with partners within a state-of-the-art facility to undertake world leading research in physical activity.
Read more about our research themes and programmes
Research and Development for Business
Providing access to research and design capability for global businesses, dynamic SMEs and the public sector
Read more about the work we do with business and industry
Strategic Collaborations
Developing long-term collaborations with community, public and voluntary sector and industry partners to co-design products, interventions and services to help people move, improving the social, behavioural and environmental determinants of health.
Health Innovations
Acting as an innovation centre for health and care services, bringing together patients, clinicians, industry and researchers to develop market solutions that can be scaled regionally, nationally and globally.
Training and Education
Supporting the development and delivery of innovative interdisciplinary postgraduate courses, CPD, doctoral programmes and apprenticeships to train the next generation of researchers who can work across academia, and the public sector.
