Children with speech difficulties form the largest group of those referred to children?s speech and language therapy departments. Though some children grow out of their difficulties, others have persistent problems that can affect their educational progress and social development. Previous research into children?s speech impairments has been unable to agree on the percentage of the population who are affected by this. In addition, a number of factors such as intelligence and family factors have been found to be associated with speech impairment though there is no conclusive agreement on which factors are most important. Similarly, the degree to which educational and social development is affected is in dispute. Some speech impairments are associated with anatomical or neurological impairments such as cleft palate or cerebral palsy, but for a large number of children, there is no identifiable cause. Research has suggested many possibilities and it is also thought that different subgroups may exist. Some of the research on speech impairments is now outdated and uses definitions of speech impairment that are no longer accepted. With the more recent studies, there has been a tendency to use small samples of children, in some instances just one or two cases. There is therefore an urgent need for population-based research. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a large scale study of children?s development which has collected information on children?s speech development at ages 2, 5 and 8. This provides a unique opportunity to investigate some of the questions surrounding speech impairment. The proposed study will identify the percentage of children aged 5 and 8 years who have speech impairments, what factors predict persistent problems and what factors are associated with a good prognosis . It will identify outcomes for children with speech impairments and investigate the existence of any subgroups. The researcher team have considerable expertise in the field of children?s speech impairment as well as being familiar with the data collected in the ALSPAC study. Findings from this study will support the early identification of children at risk of persisting speech impairments and help to identify interventions which may prevent long term negative outcomes. In addition, a clear understanding of the numbers affected by these difficulty together with information on the factors which are associated with it, will enable services to be planned more effectively and resources targeted where they are most needed.

In the past three years, virtual reality (VR) production and consumption has become more accessible to documentary producers and audiences, building on a medium that Ivan Sutherland pioneered five decades ago. While VR has been used for studies of empathy and gender 'body-swapping' experiments, how can VR makers push the medium further for non-fiction storytelling on the topic of gender, especially going beyond binary categories? Just as gender is enacted and embodied, so too does VR give a sense of embodiment, and increasingly with more responsive and interactive technology, users can have more agency over their experience. With trans* stories becoming increasingly visible in documentaries and the media in recent years, the contributors themselves rarely have any power in the telling of their stories. Films on non-cisgender lives exploit and exoticise the body of the person to fascinate and entertain a cisgender audience. Cisgender documentary filmmakers and broadcasters often omit the nuances of genderqueer and trans experiences for a mainstream audience, simplifying the trans experience to medical and aesthetic transition narratives and featuring close-up shots of surgeries. This project will employ non-fiction VR with other forms of immersive and interactive media to provide new possibilities for complicity, collaboration and imagination in translating non-cisgender stories that asserts agency both for the contributors in translating their stories to an immersive experience and for the user in making choices where they look and how they move. As VR and interactive media offer a more active experience than watching traditional flat films, both the creation and the resulting interactive work will raise questions for how to tell stories that focus on complexities around embodiment and non-cisgender subjectivities. This research will explore the potential of VR to create a more ethical and collaborative approach in telling non-fiction stories, as well as how the grammar and technology of VR can change the audience experience. As in Foucault's analysis of the clinique, the cisgender-controlled media employ vision (via the film-maker's lens) and language to describe, categorise and reinforce gender binaries, thereby perpetuating power roles and assumptions of categories. The complexities of non-cisgender subjectivities are often erased by such institutions, particularly contributors for whom gender can be a process of changing, mixing, playing with or intentionally blurring the perceived socially-constructed expression of one's assigned gender. A collaborative approach to media creation can subvert the control of the filmmaker through what Jean Rouch termed 'shared anthropology', whereby filmmaker and contributors co-create scenarios. Not only more ethical and complicit for the contributor, this method has the possibility to create a more intimate experience for the user. Bringing together nuanced representations of gendered subjectivities with an examination of VR allows for a rich crossover of the nature of the 'gaze' as interpreted by Jacques Lacan, Foucault and Laura Mulvey. In acknowledging gendered ways of acting, being and seeing, how can this translate in representing genderqueer and non-binary subjectivities in non-fiction, immersive media? How can immersive media like VR produce a different experience in this regard than flat documentary film? Immersive media, in its creation and its experience, can offer a space for play and imagination that, rather than making us 'less human', more cut off from the world can in fact provide space for imagination and an experience not possible outside of the virtual space.

The UK has a rich and varied research data landscape, and central to this are the staff who manage data services for researchers. As the complexity of data sources and delivery mechanisms has grown, so has the range of skills and expertise that data service professionals need. However, data service professionals can often fall between two stools - not-quite academic researchers, not-quite university support staff. As a result, there is a noticeable gap in comprehensive training and career development pathways for these professionals, leading to issues like high turnover, limited diversity, and a lack of clear career progression. The current Future Data Services project has, over the last two years, collected extensive evidence for how the lack of clear and effective support mechanisms are limiting the potential of UK data services. This project aims to revolutionize the training and development landscape for data services staff. It addresses critical issues such as skill mapping, training curriculum development, recruitment and staff induction strategies, and the establishment of a supportive network. The project combines desk research, feasibility studies, and co-design and production in collaboration with data services. The research phase includes a review of HR literature, competency frameworks, and existing practices within data services. Feasibility studies will test trial concepts for each deliverable, ensuring they are practical and effective. Finally, co-design and production activities will involve developing frameworks, curricula, and kits in real-world environments, with continuous feedback and iteration. Specifically, the project will deliver A skills framework which maps the jobs roles at different levels to the training and expertise they require A curriculum for data service managers to see what their current staff skill set is, and where they may need to invest in training and development to ensure sufficient capacity to cover activities, as well as giving career progression opportunities to staff Guidance for HR processes can use these frameworks for job recruitment and advertising, induction, and career planning A network of engaged professionals in data services to provide a forum for discussion s and sense-check within the project, and a basis for continuing development of ideas post-project Together, these deliverables will help staff to see how their current role in a wider context, including progression opportunities, giving them both greater security and a positive roadmap for personal development Improve recruitment and retention strategies by making the characteristics of a role clearer and common across organisations Help to identify gaps in training provision in the UK, and provide evidence of the demand for training Encourage the development of cross-organisation support networks, potentially including secondments Short-term outcomes include updating recruitment methodologies, enhanced recruitment and induction processes, and support for inclusive workforce strategies. Long-term outcomes involve fostering a diverse and representative workforce, improving staff retention, and establishing clear career pathways and development opportunities across data services. The project team comprises a mix of academics, HR experts, and data service professionals with extensive experience in research, training, and service management. Leveraging their collective expertise, the team is well-equipped to deliver on the project's objectives and drive meaningful change within the data services sector. Overall, the project represents a timely and comprehensive initiative to address critical training and development needs within UK data services, ultimately contributing to the sector's growth, sustainability, and effectiveness in supporting data-driven research and decision-making.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that can be disabling as a result of painful, swollen joints, joint deformity, fatigue, and unpredictable inflammation. The condition is commonly diagnosed between 30 and 50 years, and can impact severely on home and work life. Assessment of the effectiveness of treatments for RA is dominated by doctors‘ and nurses‘ opinions, and the patients‘ perspective is minimal. The research aims to ensure that changes which are important to patients are routinely assessed in research and clinical settings. In rheumatology, there is limited research on the effect of cultural issues on health care for RA. The new study will begin to address this by examining the different socio-cultural perceptions of RA in Punjabi speaking patients, and how these may impact on their health care, with a long-term view of conducting a large cross-cultural study with different ethnic minority groups. The researcher was trained in the social sciences and uses both qualitative and quantitative methods. Two patients will collaborate in the research team meetings. Through engagement with the media and policy makers, the research outcomes will lead to an improvement in health professionals‘ understanding of patients‘ priorities in RA, and in patients‘ decisions about treatment options.

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.