Turning Northern strengths into national outcomes

N8 enters the summer with new leadership and renewed momentum across the partnership. In his first reflections as Director, Dr Colin Tattam considers how N8 can build on the collaboration already happening across its programmes and member universities, focus collective effort, and connect Northern research and innovation capability to national priorities.

Across N8, that collaborative strength is already evident: research evidence is informing policy insight, links between academia, government and public services are deepening, and Northern capability is becoming more visible in areas of national importance. Recent activity shows the power of working across institutions and disciplines to address shared challenges and create opportunities with national relevance.

Read on for news from our priority programmes and wider network.

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N8 News

From research strength to national opportunity

Dr Colin Tattam, Director of the N8 Research Partnership

Dr Colin Tattam reflects on his first weeks since joining the partnership.

In my first weeks as Director of the N8 Research Partnership, I have had the privilege of visiting all our member universities and meeting senior leaders, researchers and professional colleagues. These early conversations, alongside the opportunity to begin engaging with partners across the wider N8 network, have provided valuable insight into both the strengths of the partnership and the opportunities that lie ahead...

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N8 Director responds to UKRI Strategy 2026-2031

N8 Director Dr Colin Tattam reflects on what UKRI’s new strategy could mean for research collaboration, place-based innovation and the North’s role in delivering national priorities.

Programme updates

Child of the North is a collaboration between the N8 and Health Equity North. By acting together and with regional partners, our aim is to translate research evidence into transformative impact that improves outcomes for children living in the North of England and beyond.

Landmark report calls for connected data to transform children’s services

Shaped by the voices of researchers, policymakers, public service leaders, practitioners, communities, families and young people, 'Connecting data: Intelligent and informed delivery to support every child to succeed' shows how proven approaches already working in Northern England can be scaled nationally to address the urgent need for better data sharing across children’s services. The report identifies a major national opportunity to strengthen public services, accelerate research and drive economic growth whilst retaining data sovereignty.

Call for contributions to Equitable Play report

Child of the North in partnership with Centre for Young Lives is inviting contributions to a new report on equitable access to play. Anyone who works to support children and young people’s play – in the community, in schools, in the home, public spaces, online and anywhere else that play takes place – is invited to contribute. The deadline for submissions of 400 words is 31 August 2026.

The N8 Policing Research Partnership is an academic-police collaboration between the N8 and 11 police forces in the North of England who work together to champion, enable, and support policing research and its impact.

Agile Evidence Reviews – 2025-26 reviews published and new funding round open

Agile Evidence Reviews (AERs) are systematic literature reviews on policing research priorities. Read 2025–26 reviews online, and watch accompanying webinar recordings for Suicide prevention for people arrested or under investigation for sexual offences, and Measuring police culture.

NRiPN members at northern universities are invited to apply to the new funding round before the deadline of Friday 21 August, 12pm.

Tape stretched across a path reads POLICE

Applications open for New Researchers in Policing Network Director

Dr Ellen Reeves is stepping down after 18 successful months as Director of the New Researchers in Policing Network (NRiPN). Funding is available for a 10% FTE buy-out from October 2026 to September 2027. Early Career Researchers at N8 can now apply before the deadline of Friday 28 August.

Police Priority Grants – new report published and final projects funded

Police Priority Grants support collaborative research addressing key policing priorities. Read the new report on making police custody safer and more inclusive for autistic people, and access the accompanying webinar recording and slides online.

N8 PRP has also awarded three final-round grants for projects on domestic abuse incident outcomes, suicide prevention following release from police custody, and improving police interactions with autistic adults.

A Stressed Woman Leaning on a Concrete Wall, by Thirdman on Pexels

Reflections on event at Westminster

N8 PRP-funded research on high-harm, high-frequency domestic abuse offenders was recently showcased at Westminster, bringing together academics, police, policymakers, parliamentarians and technology partners to explore innovative approaches to tackling violence against women and girls. Professor Barry Godfrey reflects on hosting the event.

The N8 Centre of Excellence in Computationally Intensive Research (N8 CIR) focuses on the creation of a Centre of Excellence in CIR methods, skills, and facilities to underpin the strategic research objectives of the N8.

Enabling AI for Science - Case studies now published

This EPSRC funded project (October 2025 to March 2026) brought together dRTP expertise and N8-CIR resources to facilitate the uptake of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scientific research. The project carried out a number of dRTP led interventions to help researchers overcome barriers to entry and produced six case studies to describe this work.

Join the N8 CIR Data Stewards Network

Data is increasing in prevalence, size, and cost in all research areas, and this comes with the challenges of effectively managing, and storing all this data. The Data Stewards network brings together colleagues across the N8 institutions to increase the visibility and recognition of data stewards across academia, as well as host events to help teach, share best practice, and network.

News from our members

£1.4m programme to support clinical academic careers

N8 universities are part of a consortium of leading northern universities and NHS trusts involved in BEACON, a new Medical Research Council (MRC) programme designed to strengthen clinical academic careers and research leadership across the North of England.

N8 universities secure share of £80m defence skills funding

The universities of Liverpool, Newcastle, Durham and Sheffield are among institutions awarded a share of £80 million government funding to expand student places and develop new facilities supporting the UK defence sector.

N8 universities selected to join Defence Universities Alliance

35 UK universities will help strengthen defence research, build critical skills and support the UK's future defence capability. The universities of Durham, Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York are included as founding members.