Research and development
Research is the cornerstone in understanding ways in which we can ensure quality of life after spinal cord injury, and the Frank Williams Academy is dedicated to bringing together vital specialist expertise across the health & care sector.
The research we support engages the spinal cord injury community directly, and helps improve our understanding of all things spinal cord injury from pressure ulcer risk factors to assistive technology.
Below you will find current opportunities to participate in active research projects, or check out the work we’ve been doing and supporting:
Latest research participation opportunities
Do you want to shape the future ways of working for the SCI community?
Focus groups being conducted by NIHR DSE awardee Dr Jackie McRae with SIA to help understand what’s important to those with high-level injuries – from social media use, to AI in diagnostics!
If you have a C1-6 level spinal cord injury and are available in March/April 2026 then click below:
Adapting the Pinch Gesture for Accessible Distant Interactions in VR
Virtual Reality (VR) is becoming an increasingly popular medium for entertainment, education, and rehabilitation for conditions such as Parkinson’s, arthritis, spinal injury and stroke. In our previous research, we identified key accessibility barriers in freehand gesture interactions for users with upper limb impairments particularly around the use of the pinch gesture.
The study takes place at the University of Bath and will involve questionnaires, four short virtual reality sessions (~10/15 minutes each) and then an interview. The whole study should last around 90 minutes.
Understanding experiences of mental health support following sport-related catastrophic injury
The purpose of this study is to understand the routes to mental health support in individuals who sustain catastrophic injury through playing sport. We would like to understand positives and negatives with these experiences.
- Participants be invited to take part in a one-to-one interview (60-90minutes),
- Participants must be over the age of 18 and can fully understand and consent to this research.
- Individuals must have sustained catastrophic injury through playing sport or leisure time physical activity. The injury must be a spinal cord injury or moderate/severe traumatic brain injury that leads to permanent disability.
Interviews will be conducted from October 2025 to end of March 2026
The University of Bath are researching into how the body utilises the food we consume in response to Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) in people with and without spinal cord injury.
If you are individual with spinal cord 18-64 years >1 year post injury then get in touch with the researcher Rebecca Young directly via email to find out if you are eligible. Download the patient information sheet.
Are you interested in helping researchers find out how spinal cord
stimulation could improve the quality of life for people with SCI?
University of Birmingham/Spinal Research are recruiting adults aged 16 and above with a motor complete SCI (AIS A or B) between C5 – T6 for over 1 year. Testing at the University of Birmingham includes high intensity supervised exercise trials and assessments of your health using non-invasive electrical stimulation. Enrolment lasts approx. 19 weeks, including 11 assessment visits and 16 exercise intervention sessions. Receive compensation for up to £40 per visit and £200 for completing the exercise intervention!
Click on poster for full details and contact the research team below to get involved:
The effect of a combined aerobic and resistance exercise (CARE) training programme on cardiometabolic outcomes in individuals with spinal cord injury – University of Bath
Click on poster for full details and contact the research team below to get involved:
Share your research with us
Please click on the button below and fill out our new online form to send us details about your research:
If you have any problems with the form please email: [email protected]
Our research events & opportunities
Our very first research and innovation event took place online on 16 October 2024 and invited clinicians and others with an interest in research surrounding spinal cord injury to discuss a variety of topics.
The agenda included:
- Discussions to explore research challenges
- Exploring ongoing SCI research
- Looking at how innovation can be used to bring about change.
If you were unable to join us on the day please check out the full video of the event below:
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SCI KNOWLEDGE HUBCOURSES FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALShealth and care advisory groupFRANK WILLIAMS ACADEMY
