The Brief

We were asked to create a series of short from videos highlighting the impact of research institutes at Swansea University explaining the impact that each have had. We highlighted three projects: The Healthy Ageing and Chronic Conditions, The Advanced Diagnostics and Medical Technologies and the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health research institutions are looking to help impact health in Wales and elsewhere in the world.

The short films looked to help increase understanding and how the research institutes align with Swansea University’s brand. Swansea have always placed a great emphasis on how working both internally and externally can have a huge impact in transforming the world we live in.

In our first of four videos for Swansea University’s research institutes, we managed to document what exactly the three institutes are and what their objective is. The objective of this film was to speak to those involved to introduce the institutes; the main messages of this film were how they are looking to advance research, knowledge and innovation as well as offering opportunities for people to work alongside them in their research.

In our video with the Healthy Ageing and Chronic Conditions Institute the people that we interviewed explained that there had been issues over a lack of resource when it came to patients with overlapping health conditions. Some of the examples listed in the interview were cancer, diabetes, dementia and heart disease and the complications that can arise under these circumstances. There was a great emphasis on putting people with chronic conditions at the centre as it allowed them to collect effective data and how the data can be used to improve their live. They have also looked to create a movement to meet local and global health challenges and can have a significant impact on innovations in the field.

In our video with the Advanced Diagnostics and Medical Technologies institute they focused on the role that technology played and will play in the future, in particular with the use of AI becoming more frequent. We also gained an insight as to how technology is being used for data access and how this is being used to analyse patterns amongst people. These advancements in technology are already being used throughout the NHS such as X-Ray images, offering support to patients in virtual wards and reading brain scans.

In this film we focused on the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Institute and the good work they are doing for society. Mental health is one of the most important topics in today’s world and this topic was of great interest to researchers. We highlighted in the video how access to data and working with the public, charities and policy makers has allowed them to conduct research that can make a difference an deepen understanding of the topic. By gaining this information Swansea University could look to help influence policy and that with many different bodies coming together they can all make a difference.

The Result

From our work we managed to create films that highlighted what work Swansea do and the potential impact that this can have. The films were created in a way which resembled Swansea University’s culture of collaboration and research as well as the importance that both experts and the general public play in Swansea’s research institutes due to Swansea focus on lived experience to offer different perspectives.

In every video we emphasised the importance of collaboration to all projects and that Swansea University have developed strong partnerships with organisations such as the NHS and both the Wales and UK Governments. Swansea have also encouraged collaboration by opening up conversations for debate through hosting podcasts, workshops and seminars which looked to encourage new thinking in regards to research.