Education Innovation Fund
HALSEN’s Innovation Fund aims to support colleagues to innovate and evaluate within their teaching and the wider student experience, through undertaking pedagogical research projects.
Current Projects
For academic year 2025-26, a £20,000 has been allocated to projects designed to support teaching innovation, evaluation or pedagogic research projects. From thirty very competitive applications, we were able to fund twelve projects, covering topics ranging from decolonization, assessment, study skills, AI, sustainability and employability. Current projects are summarized below, and we look forwards to receiving reports at the end of the year.
HALSEN Innovation Fund projects 2025-26
| Lead | Title |
|---|---|
|
Gaurav Saxena |
A Realist-Informed Evaluation of Curriculum Decolonisation Programs in Psychology |
|
Rose Murray |
Back to the Exam Hall: Student Experiences of Open-Book In-Person Assessment |
|
Eve Curtis |
Informing Inclusive Assessment Design: Student Perspectives on Attainment Gaps |
|
Maya Gobin |
Self reflection - a key skill for academic and career prospects |
|
Laura Contu |
The Impact of GenAI Use on Cognitive Engagement During Critical Thinking Tasks |
|
Rob Thatcher |
Evaluation of an AI-powered group teaching activity |
|
Claire Hudson |
Motivations, expectations and outcomes of PGT students in health and life sciences |
|
Andy Wakefield |
Climate change and human health: visual mapping workshop |
|
Patrick Moore |
Student experiences of assessment innovation |
|
Gemma Ford |
Using the Bristol Skills Profile self-assessment tool to enhance personal and professional development planning in the undergraduate Medical programme |
|
Isabel Murillo Cabeza |
"Unlocking Connections: Academic Escape Rooms for First-Year Students" |
|
Kristopher Magee |
Graduate Pathways: Linking Degree Skills to Career Journeys |
Funding Opportunities
We anticipate launching the 2026-2027 funding round in May 2026, with a deadline of 26th of June. Applications are more likely to be successful if they:
- Have a broad impact with potential for future application to students across multiple schools in the Faculty, rather than only being relevant to only a small number of students taking an individual unit within a single school.
- Are focused on schools in the Faculty, rather than being part of a wider, University project.
- For projects relating to innovation in teaching, there should be a plan for evaluation of the initiative, and plans for ongoing funding if required.
- Don't take too much of the funding pot, i.e., requests in the < £2K range are more likely to be successful than requests > £5K.
Note that the fund is unable to support the following:
- Conference attendance (you could try seeking funding from your school for this).
- Equipment or costs for existing teaching activities – unless the project is evaluating innovative practice, with evidence of an ongoing plan to ensure sustainability that don't involve evaluation of innovative practice. Costs for existing teaching should be supported by school funding).
- Equipment and consumables associated with running student projects, unless evaluating an innovative approach to project provision. Costs associated with running student projects should be funded by the school.