The internationally renowned Born in Bradford research programme has received a prestigious £4.5m Wellcome Discovery Award to fund an ambitious eight-year study aimed at addressing childhood health and wellbeing inequalities.
The new project, BiBBS Achieve, will build on the success of Born in Bradford’s Better Start (BiBBS) birth cohort, which has evaluated the impact of multiple early years projects delivered through the Better Start Bradford programme.
The research will be conducted in partnership with local schools, families, and health professionals, involving more than 8,000 children and their families living in some of Bradford’s most disadvantaged areas. The Wellcome Discovery Award is one of the most competitive and respected research awards globally, recognising bold, collaborative science with the potential to transform our understanding of health. This major investment endorses the vital work taking place in Bradford to promote health equity and improve life chances for children.
Dr Josie Dickerson, Director of the BiBBS Achieve Programme, said:
“This award is a recognition of over a decade of commitment from families, service providers and researchers in Bradford.”
“With Wellcome’s support, we can take a huge leap forward in understanding how to build a healthier, happier and fairer future for children living in inner-city areas who face the greatest disadvantages.”
The BiBBS Achieve study will examine how recent systemic shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, have impacted children’s long-term health and development. It will also explore the longer-term impact of the Better Start Bradford early-years projects on children and how these can be adapted to create effective early years interventions in modern urban environments.
Born in Bradford’s Better Start has recruited over 5,700 families from 2016 to 2024, and this new phase will extend the research to middle childhood, working closely with inner-city primary schools. By combining large-scale data with deep qualitative insights from families, the study aims to create an evidence base that can transform national policy and practice. This award positions Bradford at the forefront of global research into child health equity and highlights the city’s impact as a hub for health and social innovation.
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