At the onset of the pandemic, there was an urgent need for the rapid development of modelling tools to understand the potential spread of the virus and guide policy decisions. Building on joint expertise in the role of social interactions in viral transmission and Bayesian inference for epidemic modelling, Read and Jewell developed the first SARS-CoV-2 transmission model based on real case data, which they shared in January 2020. Their model used statistical methods to estimate key epidemiological parameters, including the basic reproduction (R) number.

The researchers also made several important early contributions to understanding the pandemic. They published the first analysis of UK clinical data to identify factors linked to mortality in hospitalised COVID-19 patients, while Jewel led the first detailed spatial analysis of COVID-19 cases in England, showing large regional differences in case numbers and epidemic growth. To inform ongoing policy decisions, the researchers also developed models to assess the impact of reopening schools and the effectiveness of contact tracing on transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

From February 2020, Read and Jewell were members of the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling, Operational sub-group (SPI-M-O). Their research informed several policy areas including household isolation, school re-openings, and infection within hospitals. Their analysis of household isolation and compliance significantly influenced the UK Government’s decision to adopt household isolation measures, while their research on contact patterns and tracing helped policymakers understand and prepare for the implications of reopening schools. At a more local

level, Local Authorities across the North West used their model predictions to plan various responses to the pandemic, including estimating demand on council services, and forecasting future impacts on healthcare services.

Read and Jewell's work also had extensive international impact. Their initial COVID-19 transmission modelling results were used by officials in the United States to inform key decision makers, including the US Secretary of State. Read and Jewell’s research was also incorporated into a contact tracing tool, COVIDTracer, which was released in April 2020 by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Within the CX Hubs’ programme of research, a team of Lancaster researchers, led by Professor Leon Cruickshank, facilitated collaboration between academics, PhD students, and SMEs in 107 organisations across 94 projects between 2012 and 2017, enabling SMEs to achieve better project outcomes due to the researcher’s input. CX encouraged movement away from the old ‘knowledge push model’ towards a model of ‘Knowledge Exchange’, an approach with more reciprocal knowledge flow between researchers and enterprises. Many enterprises benefited from this, such as Liverpool-based partner Red Ninja, who integrated the ideas from academic researchers into their ‘Red Ninja Approach’. This new approach resulted in an 800% increase in turnover, the hiring of eight new employees, and the creation of two spinout companies. Red Ninja’s success extended to their clients, such as through their work on the Healthy Ageing Grand Challenge, where their product Safe Steps reduced falls by 30% in over 100 healthcare institutions.

Another example is the BBC R&D team’s collaboration with Lancaster University researchers on the ‘Perceptive Media’ and ‘The Physical Playlist’ projects, which led to significant changes in the BBC's creative practices, approach to innovation, and organisational policies. A BBC producer stated, ’Our collaboration with CX has permanently changed how BBC R&D work’. Insights gained from this

research were subsequently rolled out into the public and third sectors through the Funding Accelerator project, equipping public and third-sector workers with the skills needed to write funding bids. The project included 19 events, with 104 participants, helping attract £1.93 million of funding as a result of the award of 29 research projects, thereby significantly impacting the public and third sectors. Participants achieved a success rate of over 60% for their funding applications, indicating the positive effect of collaboration with Lancaster University.

One specific beneficiary was Blackburn College, who secured £7,000 of funding from ‘Awards for All’ for a 12-week course called the ‘Friendship Feast project’ aimed at helping refugees gain employment skills. Additionally, the Funding Accelerator project led to £300,000 of funding from the Local Government Association being awarded to Blackburn and Darwen Council for a three-year Childhood Obesity project, and £155,000 for a population impact evaluation of health interventions in Blackburn. In addition, the Making Rooms organisation in Blackburn also benefited from the University’s support, after securing £16,400 from the Access to Industry fund for the ‘Tech Blackburn’ project, which helped create 15 jobs within six months by supporting new technical start-ups. An ‘Awards for All’ grant also enabled 36 people with physical and learning disabilities to design and create their own assisted living devices, improving social inclusion, self-reliance, and confidence.

Lancaster University’s research empowered the Wray community to build and operate their own networks, expanding home broadband within Wray and to the neighbouring area of Wennington. The Wray Broadband Project won the Queens Anniversary Prize and the EPSRC Telling Tales of Engagement Award, acknowledging its significant economic and social impact on rural communities in the North West.

The ‘Wray Broadband Project’ laid the groundwork for the 2013 establishment of the community initiative B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North), demonstrating the feasibility of delivering high-speed broadband to rural areas in the North West. By 2022, B4RN’s impact had been substantial, deploying 5 million metres of fibre cable over 3,500 square kilometres across more than 90 communities in the North West. It has connected over 12,000 properties, with plans to expand into Northumberland and County Durham in the North East of England. This multi-million-pound enterprise, supported by 2,300 shareholders and 5,000 community investors, has generated over £5 million in external investment and generated a net income of over £2 million in 2019-20, significantly boosting the social and economic landscape of these rural areas.

Chris Condor MBE, co-founder of B4RN, recognised the crucial role of Professor Race and his team, stating that ’none of this [B4RN’s success] would have been possible without Professor Race and his team.’ B4RN has increased investment attractiveness in rural communities and businesses, enabled home working through the pandemic and beyond, and partnered with Zykel Communications in

April 2020 to bring ultra-fast broadband to 21 primary schools, significantly benefiting education during the pandemic. As one parent remarked, ’our B4RN connection was activated part way through lock down…we physically would not have been able to do these [video literacy lessons] on the previous connection.’

Healthcare in rural areas also improved with broadband access, allowing patients to access online information, attend video consultations, and obtain prescriptions online. This capability was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains important. Healthcare professionals can access the latest medical publications, enhancing their ability to provide high quality services.

B4RN has also enabled vulnerable people to remain in touch with family and friends, alleviating loneliness and building a sense of community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, B4RN facilitated volunteer support networks in isolated rural areas. In Clapham, a remote village in the Forest of Bowland with an elderly population, improved connectivity enabled the formation of 'Clapham Cobra', a volunteer group that shared information, delivered supplies, and checked on vulnerable residents, helping to reduce the effects of isolation.

B4RN’s impact extends beyond the homes it connects. Its series of ‘show and tell days’ has inspired many other projects in the UK which use the B4RN model, such as B4RNI (Broadband for Rural Northern Ireland). B4RN’s impact also reaches beyond the UK, with the European Commission highlighting B4RN as an example of best practice in 2020, influencing rural broadband policy internationally as well as in the UK.

Within the CREST programme, a team of Lancaster University researchers, led by Professor Kim Knott (now Emeritus), worked on the project ‘Actors and Ideologies in Social Context’ between 2015 and 2020. This project was undertaken primarily in partnership with the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) and the Home Office and involved wider collaboration with a number of UK Government departments, UK Police Forces, and international NGOs. The project incorporated a range of underpinning research areas, such as the interaction between political and religious ideologies and security threats; the cultural and ideological roots of extremism; and methods for countering violent extremism.

The project formed part of CREST’s policy-facing work, designed to provide security practitioners with the tools, expertise, and resources needed for their investigative and analytical tasks. Throughout the project, the team worked closely with policymakers and other stakeholders, sharing their research findings through regular meetings, training sessions, and conferences.

The project had significant impacts spanning across various policy-relevant areas. For example, the Lancaster University team’s research on counterterrorism led to the implementation of an evidence-based evaluation framework for UK Counter Terrorism’s ‘Prevent’ strategy. Their findings were also included in guidance provided to practitioners by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the world’s largest security-orientated intergovernmental body.

The team also developed and delivered a range of training tools for security agencies. For example, the team worked with the UKIC Behavioural Science Unit to build and integrate an ideological learning framework with existing operational tools. Their research was incorporated into training materials offered by a number of institutions including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Scottish Organised Crime Taskforce.

The research by the CREST team also led to several youth outreach initiatives aimed at improving understanding of security issues. For example, these included a series of workshops in collaboration

with the ‘New Choices for Youth’ organisation engaged with disadvantaged young people in London, helping them gain knowledge and confidence in de-radicalisation.

On the international stage, the team’s research has made a significant contribution to the global dialogue surrounding ideology and security threats, with coverage in major news outlets including the Washington Post, The Times, and O Globo (Brazil). More broadly, CREST’s ongoing work has facilitated a good practice model for integrating social and behavioural scientific evidence on security threats into the strategic planning of security and intelligence agencies. CREST’s unique research-to-practice structure allows for close collaboration between academic researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.

Lancaster University researchers developed reliability modelling techniques for technology that was used by ST Microelectronics, a world leading electronics manufacturing company, to integrate its inertial MEMS into commercial products such as the iPhone and Nintendo Wii series. This collaboration generated over $3.5 billion in sales revenue between 2014 and 2020.

Over the past twenty years, a team of Lancaster University researchers, led by Professor Andrew Richardson, has been at the forefront of developing modelling techniques and optimisation technology to test MEMS for mechanical and thermal stress. Early collaboration with ST Microelectronics resulted in the first validated solutions for modelling component level faults in microstructures. This project used behavioural modelling techniques based on applications of Cosserat theory, developed by Professor Robin Tucker of Lancaster University’s Industrial Mathematics Group, to validate new methods for exploring mechanical fatigue in the material used in ST Microelectronics’ MEMS products.

The project later expanded to test to the reliability of silicon gyroscopes. Gyroscopes are small devices used to determine how quickly an object is rotating and are widely used in smartphones and other electronics devices. Further research by the Richardson team, alongside the French National

Centre for Scientific Research, the University of Paris, and commercial partners, led to the development and application of a new ‘Bias Superposition’ method for testing the reliability of MEMS technology during normal use.

The work of the Richardson team had a significant economic impact by facilitating the use of ST Microelectronics’ inertial MEMS devices across several high-profile consumer products, including the iPhone 4 and 4S, Nintendo Wii and Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch. Between 2014 and 2020, the combined sales of these products exceeded 100 million units.

As well as this Lancaster University research solidifying ST Microelectronics’ position as a global leader in consumer MEMS technology, the University’s reliability modelling has also supported the longer-term commercialisation of new products, including accelerometers for vehicle safety applications in the automotive market.