University of York Researchers Secure £4.5 Million Wellcome Discovery Award to Expand Born in Bradford Study

University of York Researchers Secure £4.5 Million Wellcome Discovery Award to Expand Born in Bradford Study

(IN BRIEF) The University of York’s team has secured a £4.5 million Wellcome Discovery Award to extend the Born in Bradford research programme, which will now study 8,000 children and their families in Bradford. Building on the success of the Better Start initiative, this new phase aims to address childhood health and wellbeing inequalities, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. The research will provide crucial insights to shape national policy, improve early years interventions, and support health equity across urban environments.

(PRESS RELEASE) YORK, 7-May-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — A team of researchers from the University of York will be expanding the internationally recognized Born in Bradford research programme, thanks to a significant £4.5 million boost from a Wellcome Discovery Award. This new phase of the project will focus on studying 8,000 children and their families in Bradford, with a key emphasis on addressing childhood health and wellbeing inequalities in the region.

Building on Success

The funding will enable an ambitious eight-year study that builds on the success of the Born in Bradford’s Better Start (BiBBS) initiative, a UK-based early childhood study developed by the Bradford Institute for Health Research at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The project will focus on understanding how children’s health, development, and wellbeing are influenced by the challenges posed by the pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Kate Pickett, Professor of Epidemiology at York and a member of the project’s executive board, expressed her excitement about the project: “I’m delighted to be part of BiBBS Achieve alongside other colleagues from the University of York. This is an opportunity to explore how children in Bradford, a unique cohort, are impacted by major societal events. The findings will have broad relevance beyond Bradford.”

The project will extend the research to middle childhood, building on the data collected from over 700,000 individuals in Bradford and Airedale. Between 2016 and 2024, the Better Start Bradford project recruited more than 5,700 families, and now, with this expansion, the research will work closely with inner-city primary schools to investigate the long-term effects on children as they grow.

Partnerships for Success

The BiBBS Achieve project will be conducted in partnership with local schools, health professionals, and families, particularly focusing on disadvantaged communities. By merging large-scale data with qualitative insights from families, the project aims to create an evidence base that can reshape national policy and practice.

Josie Dickerson, Director of the BiBBS Achieve programme, said: “This award acknowledges the decade-long dedication of families, service providers, and researchers in Bradford. With the support of Wellcome, we can take a significant step forward in understanding how to create a healthier, happier, and fairer future for children facing the most disadvantageous circumstances.”

Understanding the Impact of Major Life Events

The study will focus on understanding how major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have affected children’s health and development. It will also assess the long-term impacts of the Better Start Bradford projects on early childhood and explore how these can be adapted to create more effective early years interventions, ultimately promoting equity in urban environments.

A Competitive Investment in Health Equity

This major funding boost highlights the importance of the work being carried out in Bradford to improve health equity and the life chances of children. The Wellcome Discovery Award is one of the most competitive and esteemed research awards worldwide, recognising transformative science that could change our understanding of health.

The research findings will inform local authorities, health, education, and voluntary sector providers across the Bradford district and will support the development of new programmes aimed at improving the population’s health.

Media Contact:

Alistair Keely
Head of Media Relations
Tel: +44 (0)1904 322153
alistair.keely@york.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of York