Creating Opportunities Through Innovation Fellowships (COLIF)

The Creating Opportunities through Local Innovation Fellowships aims to spread opportunities and reduce regional inequalities through working with local businesses, third sector organisations and policy communities. The Fellowships are delivered through ESRC’s Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) via the members of ESRC IAA Cluster 2 (comprised of the Universities of Leeds, York, Liverpool, Manchester, Huddersfield and Sheffield).

The Fellowships are geared towards creating place-based activities around key priority thematic areas such as cost of living and social protection, productivity and employment through a place lens and understanding and encouraging pro-social behaviour in communities. Two Fellowships have been awarded to the University of Leeds led by Leeds Social Sciences Institute covering domestic abuse and climate change. The Fellowships will commence on 2 January 2025 and run until March 2026. The Fellowships are designed to create impact-driven outcomes that will support the local region. Below, are details about each of the Fellowships and what they are trying to address.

We are delighted LSSI are able to fund these Fellowships. They exemplify our commitment to increase the impact of social science research at the University of Leeds by forging new pathways to meaningful engagement with external partners.

Professor Louise Waite, Director of Leeds Social Sciences Institute