UK Gut-Immunology-Brain Axis Network+

The past two decades have witnessed a global explosion of research into the gut-immunology-brain axis (GIBA), illuminating its importance for human development, health and longevity. Understanding how the gut connects to and influences the nervous system, allows scientists, drug developers and policy makers to develop novel strategies to improve physical, cognitive and mental health across the life-course. Unlocking the potential of GIBA requires an interdisciplinary approach that combines knowledge and technology from diverse research fields that may not have traditionally interacted.
The UK possesses a wealth of expertise and infrastructure in GIBA-relevant areas. However, due to a lack of effective collaborations, few researchers make use of these resources; they frequently remain siloed within a narrow userbase and unknown to the wider research community. When combined with limited opportunities for interaction between researchers from diverse yet complementary disciplines, and the need to develop new tools to investigate this complex and dynamic network, this presents a significant barrier to the progress of UK GIBA research.
The aim is to establish a national GIBA Network+ to build a vibrant, diverse, interdisciplinary UK-wide research community to advance the mechanistic understanding of GIBA across the life-course, and its modulation by lifestyle and other factors. It will provide a vehicle to deliver networking opportunities to facilitate closer collaborative relationships between diverse disciplines, signposting existing UK infrastructure and resources, with a strong focus on an inclusive and positive research culture that particularly fosters the development and visibility of early-career researchers (ECRs). This will be achieved through the following objectives:

Communication: Capture the current expertise, methodologies, and resources available in the UK into a single, easily accessible location and increase its visibility. 
Collaboration: Support knowledge exchange and effective interdisciplinary collaborations through networking events and the creation of working groups focused on addressing key research questions pertinent to the field and identifying barriers to successful partnerships.
Research: Strengthen the collaborative partnerships arising from the working groups and increase the mechanistic understanding of GIBA through funded projects with a focus on generating impactful outputs.
Development of ECRs: Ensure longevity of the Network+ by supporting the progression of ECRs and research technicians (RTPs) through funded fellowships, training workshops, leadership experience, and mobility awards.
Training: Upskill the research community working across the GIBA landscape through a comprehensive multidisciplinary training programme, generation of online material, and support of training placements.
Impact: Establish a framework to maximise the impact and dissemination of research outputs arising from the Network+, ensuring effective communication, translation and knowledge transfer to relevant stakeholders, including the commercial sector, the public, and those involved in public policy. 

The Network+ will establish itself as an authority in this area, offering thought leadership, developing tools and approaches for wider adoption, and providing guidance on standards within the field. An effective framework will be implemented for engagement with stakeholders and other complementary networks (e.g. BBSRC OIRC-hubs, BBSRC-MRC Networks) to maximise impact and support the long-term research and innovation priorities of the BBSRC. This includes developing and connecting expertise across the UK (world-class people); increasing awareness of available facilities and technologies and supporting their optimisation (world-class places); facilitating the generation of novel multidisciplinary research (world-class ideas); its commercial translation (world-class innovation); its academic, public and international impact (world-class impacts); while ensuring EDI considerations are adopted throughout (world-class organisation).