BreatHE IN Sandpit Brings Together National Expertise to Tackle Indoor Air Quality and Health
The BreatHE IN network delivered a highly engaging interdisciplinary sandpit on 29th April 2026 at the University of Birmingham, with the theme of ‘Diagnosis and monitoring of indoor built environments’. It brought together 75 participants from across the UK from a wide variety of disciplines. Demand to attend was exceptionally high with 98 applications, clearly indicating strong national interest in the network’s vision. This flagship event marks a major step in BreatHE IN’s mission to transform how indoor environments are understood, designed and managed to support population health.
The sandpit convened researchers, industry professionals and public contributors from diverse disciplines, reflecting the network’s commitment to integrating knowledge across sectors to address complex challenges in indoor air quality and the built environment.
The day was structured to actively foster collaboration, combining keynote insights, cross-disciplinary discussions and interactive breakout sessions. Participants explored themes around the diagnosis and monitoring of indoor air quality, while also engaging directly with public contributors to ensure research ideas remain grounded in real-world needs and experiences. This reinforced the network’s commitment to meaningful engagement and societal impact.
A central focus of the sandpit was to support the development of innovative, interdisciplinary collaborations that will underpin upcoming feasibility study applications. Attendees had previously submitted expressions of interest and used the event to build and strengthen partnerships, with a strong emphasis on supporting early career researchers to take leading roles in new project ideas. A distinctive feature of the sandpit was the inclusion of ‘surgery’-style sessions involving public contributors, providing researchers with the opportunity to present emerging ideas and receive direct PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) feedback. These structured discussions enabled valuable insight into the relevance, accessibility and potential impact of proposed research, ensuring that ideas were grounded in real-world perspectives from an early stage. The sessions were highly valued by participants, with many researchers expressing strong interest in incorporating similar approaches into their future work and requesting further opportunities for this type of engagement through the network.
The network will now progress to the next phase, inviting applications for feasibility study funding. Up to £60k (80% FEC) will be awarded to large-scale projects, or £30k (80% FEC) to smaller-scale studies, enabling the development of high-risk, high-reward research aligned with BreatHE IN’s objectives. These projects are expected to generate novel insights and lay the groundwork for future large-scale funding bids. Deadline is 7th June 2026.
The sandpit also provided an opportunity to launch the BreatHE IN mentorship scheme, designed to support the next generation of researchers in navigating interdisciplinary research environments and building successful collaborations. In addition, plans were shared for a second round of funding in Autumn 2026, ensuring continued momentum and long-term impact of the network.
Overall, the event demonstrated the strength of interest and engagement across the UK research and innovation community and highlighted BreatHE IN’s growing role as a national platform for collaboration, innovation and impact in the field of healthier indoor environments.