EPSRC-funded Micro Network Plus, BreatHE IN, hosted its first interdisciplinary sandpit on Wednesday 29 April at the University of Birmingham, bringing together 75 participants from across the UK, including researchers, industry professionals and public contributors from diverse disciplines, reflecting a commitment to integrating knowledge across sectors to address complex challenges in indoor air quality and the built environment.
Officially launched in November 2025, BreatHE IN is led by the University of Birmingham and supported by partners including Oxford, Cardiff, Nottingham, UCL, Bath, the UKHSA, Hertfordshire County Council, Siemens, ANSYS, BIOREME and the Met Office.
The day was structured to actively foster collaboration, combining keynote insights, cross-disciplinary discussions, and interactive breakout sessions. A central focus of the sandpit was to support the development of innovative, interdisciplinary collaborations that will underpin upcoming feasibility study applications.
Attendees had previously submitted expressions of interest and used the event to build and strengthen partnerships, with a strong emphasis on supporting early-career researchers to take leading roles in new project ideas. A distinctive feature of the sandpit was the inclusion of 'surgery'-style sessions involving public contributors, providing researchers with the opportunity to present emerging ideas and receive direct Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) feedback, providing valuable insight into the relevance, accessibility and potential impact of proposed research and ensuring that ideas were grounded in real-world perspectives from an early stage.
BreatHE IN lead Principal Investigator, Bruño Fraga (University of Birmingham), opened the event by reflecting on the network's achievements to date, highlighting its growing collaborations and collective ambition to transform indoor environments through interdisciplinary research and innovation. The keynote address was delivered by Diana Varaden of Imperial College London, who also plays a central role in the WellHome project. Her presentation, Indoor Air Pollution Exposure and the Role of Public Particiption in Research, offered valuable insights into the importance of community engagement in tackling indoor air quality challenges.
The day also featured contributions from sandpit co-organisers Sonia Contera (University of Oxford) and Christian Pfrang (University of Birmingham), who led sessions focused on future career pathways and the feasibility study funding application process. In the afternoon, public engagement sessions were facilitated with the support of Suzanne Bartington, BreatHE IN co-lead at the University of Birmingham, whose coordination and stewardship were instrumental in ensuring meaningful public involvement throughout the event.
The sessions were highly valued by participants, with many researchers expressing strong interest in incorporating similar approaches into their future work and requesting further opportunities for this type of engagement through the network.
The network will now progress to its next phase, inviting applications for feasibility study funding. Up to £72k (FEC) will be awarded to large-scale projects, or £32k (FEC) to smaller-scale studies, enabling the development of high-risk, high-reward research aligned with the ‘diagnosis and monitoring’ theme. These projects are expected to generate novel insights and lay the groundwork for future large-scale funding bids.
The sandpit also provided an opportunity to launch the BreatHE IN mentorship scheme, which was presented by Sonia Contera (BreatHE IN Co-lead, University of Oxford) and designed to support the next generation of researchers in navigating interdisciplinary research environments and building successful collaborations. In addition, plans were shared for a second round of funding in Autumn 2026, led by Bruño Fraga and supported by BreatHE IN co-leads Suzanne Bartington (University of Birmingham) and Zhiwen Luo (University of Cardiff). This will help in ensuring the continued momentum and long-term impact of the network.
