SuMHeR Workshop - empowering researchers to boost bidding power : Broadcast: News items : University of Sussex

SuMHeR Workshop - empowering researchers to boost bidding power

By: Liat Levita

Last updated: Tuesday, 12 August 2025

A group of people seated around tables in a classroom setting, engaged in collaborative discussions with papers and writing materials. A green wall with a mounted TV screen is visible in the background.

A group of people are sitting around tables in a classroom or meeting room setting. They are engaged in discussions and writing on large sheets of paper. Some individuals have name tags, and there are various items such notebooks, and pens

As part of its commitment to strengthening research and innovation across disciplines, the Sussex Mental Health Research Centre (SuMHeR) recently hosted (14 July 2025) a Research Grant Development Workshop in collaboration with the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s research team.

The workshop aligned closely with SuMHeR’s aims to foster collaboration across disciplines, influence policy and practice and support the development of the next generation of researchers tackling the most pressing mental health challenges.
Designed to offer practical guidance and strategic insights, the session brought together researchers at various career stages to explore how to shape fundable and impactful mental health research proposals with support from experts from a range of fields from data to Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) .

The workshop highlighted the importance of seeking early advice and integrating PPI from the outset. Identifying collaborators early and taking an incremental approach, starting small and building towards larger projects, was encouraged.

Tailoring applications to specific funders and using smaller projects to build evidence were also key messages. On research design, participants were advised to incorporate theory, plan robust data strategies, define target populations clearly, and develop flexible frameworks that can be adapted to other contexts. Emphasis was placed on articulating the novelty, relevance and potential impact of research on policy, practice and real-world outcomes. This workshop is one of many ways SuMHeR is helping to build a thriving, collaborative research community that produces rigorous, co-produced research with real-world relevance. Future events will continue to support researchers across the University and beyond.

SuMHeR Director, Professor Kathy Greenwood said: "It was great to be able to support a mix of Early Career Researchers and senior Academics with some exciting new grant ideas. Researchers from across Schools participated in this practically-focussed collaborative workshop, benefitting from specific advice from a variety of funding, patient and public involvement, digital, data, design and mental health experts. We considered supportive collaborators and co-applicants, how to expand or focus an idea, how to create building blocks and how to shape a bid for more than one funder or application. The researchers have a network of new contacts, and we are looking forward to supporting them with our grant writing follow-up workshop in the Autumn."

SuMHeR Deputy Director, Liat Levita said: "A truly inspiring and constructive event that fostered meaningful connections and helped shape research bids focused on mental health. The diversity of projects proposed, and the wide range of mental health (MH) research areas brought into the room by attendees, highlighted just how exceptional the University of Sussex is as a hub for mental health research. From engagement research, MH interventions and implementation research to the brain mechanisms underlying poor responses to psychoactive treatments for psychosis and novel interventions for anxiety, the breadth was remarkable. It was a pleasure to witness how bringing together experts, including those in clinical research, NIHR, PPI, data science, wearables, implementation, big data, and faculty members who serve on grant panels for Wellcome and the ECRC, offering funder-specific advice, enabled attendees to reframe and refine their proposals through fresh perspectives and insightful questions. I am excited for SuMHer to follow up in the new acdemic year with the next stage of support for these mental health focused bids support, a guided writing retreat, which we hope to secure support for. Feedback from this session was really positive, with many attendees saying it was the most useful grant shaping/building sessions they have ever attended."