Partners and funding
The network has developed collaborations with the Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces Families Federations, Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, Royal British Legion, SSAFA, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, West Midlands Lieutenancy, Birmingham City Council, and other organisations supporting military communities.
Funding and institutional support
University support
- University of Birmingham Interdisciplinary Research Accelerator Network+ programme
- University of Birmingham QR Research and Knowledge Exchange Award (Policy Support Fund)
- Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Birmingham
Supporting Armed Forces families requires a sustained, whole-institution and whole-society commitment. The University of Birmingham is proud to play its part, bringing together research, education, policy, and practice to help ensure that service personnel, veterans and their families are recognised, supported and able to thrive.
External funding
Future research priorities
Building on its interdisciplinary partnerships and stakeholder engagement activities, the BMFC Network is developing a programme of future research addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing Armed Forces personnel, families, children, and communities. Current areas of development include:
- Support for Reservist Families: understanding the unique experiences and support needs of Reservist families within a changing security and legislative environment, including the development of collaborative funding bids with UK partners.
- Service Children, SEND and Education: examining the educational experiences of Service children, including teachers' preparedness to support military-connected pupils, challenges associated with mobility and continuity of learning, and the experiences of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). A key priority will be understanding how current SEND reforms affect Service families' access to assessment, support, educational provision, and successful transitions between schools and local authorities.
- Autism and Military Families: adapting and evaluating support programmes for parents of autistic children in Armed Forces families through partnerships with charities, healthcare providers, and defence stakeholders.
- Family Support Interventions: developing and evaluating evidence-based interventions, including adaptations of Family Group Conferencing approaches, to strengthen family resilience and wellbeing.
- Mental Health and Family Wellbeing: investigating what forms of support work best, for whom, and under what circumstances, to improve outcomes for military families across the life course and military career stages.
- Professional Readiness and Military Cultural Competence: exploring how civilian professionals in education, healthcare, and social care can be better equipped to support Armed Forces families.
- Think Family and Whole-Society Approaches to Defence: generating evidence to support the development of policies that recognise the interconnected nature of family wellbeing, operational effectiveness, recruitment, retention, and national resilience.
The BMFC Network’s ambition is to establish the University of Birmingham as a leading national and international centre for research on Armed Forces families and communities, developing collaborative programmes with national and international partners.