The Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing is a unique Centre with regional, national and international reputation due to its strong emphasis on high quality research with interdisciplinary character and impactful knowledge exchange activities. The Centre works closely with the WHO Arts and Health office, and has successes from external funding bodies such as NIHR, AHRC, ESRC, Arts Council, the Wellcome Trust and the European Union. As a Centre it is committed to generating the highest level of evidence of the contribution of the arts to support the health and wellbeing of individuals across the life span and their communities. 

The Centre celebrates the use of diverse research approaches from creative co-produced research to high profile outcome and implementation studies. The co-produced and applied character of the research findings generated from the Centre are disseminated through publications, events and masterclasses and benefit many people, their communities, statutory and non-statutory organisations and services, contributing towards improved practice with sustainable impact.  

In addition to its strong portfolio of externally funded research, the Centre has an active approach to knowledge exchange, including the commercialisation of intellectual property created by members of the Centre.

In summary, the aim of the Centre, ‘to engage in purposeful interdisciplinary research with people across their life span in creative ways, that are participatory, ethical and of demonstrable value’.

The Centre’s mission is ‘to generate, process and actively disseminate research evidence’. 

Three main strands of research covered by the Centre are as follows:

1. Research on performance
2. Community and workplace projects
3. Clinical research

The Centre' researchers come from different disciplines and specialties including arts and health researchers, computer and sports specialists, and engage with multi-layered, national and international partnerships including NHS Trusts, charities, schools, and cultural organisations contributing toward good practice in the arts to improve the lives of people, their communities and their wider environment. 

Our manifesto with relevant illustrated material can also be found here.

The Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing is hosted under the Health Research Institute and within the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine.

See a list of our members here.