Our current work

We offer research & evaluation, consultancy, teaching and training courses, CPD, student placements, internships and PhD supervision.

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We offer research & evaluation, consultancy, teaching and training courses, CPD, student placements, internships and PhD supervision.

Our current work

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Our Research Programmes and Projects

Our approach is strongly end-user-focused, embedded in a community development and co-production philosophy.

We work with governments and practitioners in ensuring that our research impacts upon policy and practice worldwide: recently, we have worked in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Our research is conducted by key academics and within two core themes: Online Harms and Cybercrime and Community Health and Wellbeing.

Our research focuses

Ongoing research projects

Implementing a National Pilot of the Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Michelle Morgan

Start Date: 01 March 2025
End Date: 03 June 2027

This OfS EOO Innovation-funded project will develop and deliver a national pilot of a Pre-arrival Survey for Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students across selected higher education institutions in England. Building on surveys by Dr Michelle Morgan and supported by Advance HE and Jisc, the pilot will gather data to benchmark student expectations and experiences by demographics, qualification type, and region. The aim is to establish consistency in data collection, inform sector-wide policy, and drive local institutional action to close gaps between student expectations and actual experiences. Outputs include sector-wide reports, impact-based case studies, and showcase events. The survey will help students reflect on prior learning and concerns, while enabling schools, faculties, and support services to engage effectively from the start. Ultimately, it seeks to improve student retention, outcomes, and pre-arrival experience, and support evidence-informed decisions across the sector.

Partners: Ofs, JISC and AHE

Leveraging social prescribing evidence in policymaking: learning, application, and sustainability (LEAPS) 

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Ainul Hanafiah

Start Date: 25 March 2025
End Date: 31 March 2026

LEAPS explores how evidence has shaped social prescribing (SP) policy development in the UK and other established SP systems, with the goal of adapting these insights for Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), a novel framework in policymaking analysis which draws upon a wider range of behavioural models, LEAPS analyses UK and other countries’ policy evolution (WP1), adapts this to the development of SEA (WP2), and fosters cross-sector collaborations through the Social Prescribing Action & Research Community (SPARC) (WP3). Methods include policy document analysis, key informant interviews, user focus groups, and a rapid ethnographic study. The key outcome of this project will be the creation of a sustainable evaluation infrastructure that will inform SP policy development in SEA, particularly through SPARC. LEAPS is a collaboration between Monash University Malaysia, SingHealth, (WHO) and the University of East London, ensuring regional relevance, policy influence, and research excellence.

Partners: British Academy: Evidence - informed policy making grants, Monash University (Malaysia), Sing Health, WHO

Understanding Social Feasibility of Social Prescribing in Southeast Asia: A Case Study

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Ainul Hanafiah

Start Date: 05 January 2023
End Date: 31 January 2025

Malaysia experiences persistent health inequalities alongside an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases. Growing UK evidence points to Social Prescribing (SP) as an approach that could address such issues concurrently tackling multiple facets of problems in society, enhancing community wellbeing, and social inclusion. SP offers GPs non-clinical pathway which involves the provision of personalised, non-hierarchical support by a ‘link worker’ and the referral to non-clinical activities delivered by voluntary, community, social enterprise sector. We propose to explore the feasibility of introducing SP to Malaysia by co-designing an adaptation of the UK SP model in two urban states, drawing upon insights from local stakeholders and end users on economic, cultural, and social nuances. Guided by the realist evaluation approach, we will generate empirical evidence, map, and discuss how SP may work in urban Malaysia. This will produce a Malaysian contextualised SP model for further empirical testing, aspiring to greater social equity.

Partners: British Academy, National Academy for Social Prescribing, ASEAN secretariat, Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Economic evaluation of social prescribing in secondary care (AMI-SP)

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Marcello Bertotti

Start Date: 03 January 2024
End Date: 28 February 2026

A new project at Barts Heart Centre and Barts Health NHS Trust is evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the Atrio Myocardial Infarction Social Prescribing Pathway (AMI-SP), which supports vulnerable heart attack patients struggling with financial, mental health, and housing challenges. Patients referred to the programme work with social prescribers to develop tailored action plans, often including activities run by the Bromley by Bow Centre. Final results are expected in 2026; however, the first-year report showed that 84 per cent of men are supported by the service, out of a total of 228 eligible patients. AMI-SP participants from Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, and Newham have already benefited from this initiative, showing significantly lower healthcare utilisation compared to other AMI patients, despite being higher users to start with. Most of them require financial support, followed by mental health. Alongside this, a systematic review of secondary care social prescribing models is nearly completed.

Partners: Barts Charity via Barts Health

Social Prescribing in secondary care: integrating Secondary Care and community assets for health

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Marcello Bertotti

Start Date: 02 January 2025
End Date: 31 July 2025

Aims: This project aims to juxtapose the research findings from a systematic review on social prescribing in secondary care with expert views on the topic to develop actionable policy recommendations.
Main deliverables: policy briefing (max 10 pages), Online Roundtable Event, Webinar dissemination, Journal publication in BMJ and/or Lancet, News article in the Health Service Journal, Conference participation (secondary care to be identified), Professional infographic highlighting the findings (cartoon from roundtable event)
Key stakeholders: We will be working with the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) (see attached letter of support). 
Barts Hospital: we are conducting an economic evaluation of their Atrio-Myocardial Infarction social prescribing pathway. Also, in collaboration with Bromley by Bow Centre
Approach: We held a hybrid roundtable event at UEL with presentations about a systematic review in this area from ICC (UEL), and case studies from Newcastle, Dublin and Singapore. We limited the event to 15 participants (VCSE, commissioners, clinicians, link workers) to discuss the role of SP in secondary care and its policy implications, particularly in terms of secondary prevention. We also produced a short policy briefing. 
Webinar dissemination event (7 July 2025): This event was organised in collaboration with the National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) and was attended by about 150 people. ICC (UEL) presented the findings from the systematic review, and two other speakers presented case studies from Barts Hospital in London and from Paris in France.

Hackney Council Anti-Racist Service Design Principles: Supporting Public Reforms for Local Opportunities, Economic Growth, Safer Communities

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start Date: September 2025
End Date: September 2026

Supporting Public Reforms for Local Opportunities, Economic Growth, Safer Communities. As part of Hackney council’s commitment to tackling inequality and fostering inclusive public services, the University of East London will partner with the London Borough of Hackney Equalities Equity Diversity Inclusion & Belonging (LBH EEDIB) Team to embed anti-racist practices across council services and functions. A programme of training, coaching, and action learning will support communities of practice rooted in anti-racist principles, co-designed with staff, residents, and system leaders to reflect local experiences and needs. This initiative supports the Council’s ongoing efforts to respond to the needs of racially minoritised communities and drive meaningful, structural change in public services.

Partners: Hackney Council

North-East London PCN Facilitator Service for Cancer

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start Date: October 2024 
End Date: August 2025

On behalf of the North-East London Cancer Alliance, ICC is undertaking a formative evaluation of the PCN facilitator Service for Cancer established in 2023 in North-East London. The aim of the service is to support Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and primary care providers to deliver quality improvements, support early diagnosis of cancer and increase uptake of national cancer screening programmes across the 7 boroughs of North East London (NEL).  This evaluation aims to provide insights into the value of the PCN Facilitator role in contributing to cancer services in terms of referrals and early diagnosis, and social and healthcare system impact of the role. The results of this evaluation will be used to develop a business case and service specification for the continued commissioning of the PCN Facilitator roles.

Partners: North-East London Cancer Alliance

NEL Faculty Anti-Racist Principles Action Learning Sets

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start Date: 01 March 2025
End Date: 28 February 2026

The University of East London will deliver anti-racist service design training for the North-East London (NEL) Faculty Allied Health workforce to promote health equity. This training will focus on adapting the City and Hackney anti-racist principles to existing services, ensuring that the diverse group of allied health professionals—including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and dietitians—can better serve the communities in North-East London. Within this consultancy, ICC will support the NEL Faculty to deliver evidence-based and up-to-date training across North-East London.

Partners: Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Policing with Compassion: Enhancing police skills to better protect neurodiverse young people

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start Date: 01 November 2024    
End Date: 31 July 2025

The core of the project is developing a CPD course to be shared with police officers in Newham, aimed at improving their initial encounters with young people who have neurodiverse conditions, such as autism and ADHD. This CPD course will be a crucial step toward enhancing the safety and well-being of this vulnerable group. Police in Newham recognise the need for specialised tools to better protect this population. Our project will develop and test an evidence-based CPD course for local officers, incorporating both community and policy perspectives. The course will celebrate neurodiverse youth, focusing on strengths and prioritising listening to and applying the best ideas from the community
The methodology includes creating a comprehensive training program for officers and support staff, focusing on effective communication and appropriate handling of neurodiverse youth. The Police Foundation, supported by ICC, will conduct research through desktop studies and focus groups with neurodiverse young people, parents, carers, and community professionals. Additionally, we will collaborate with local schools, including special schools like Eko Pathways, to engage SEND students and their families.
The project will also empower parents and guardians by providing resources to navigate behavioural challenges and advocate for their children’s needs. A task group will co-design project outputs and run knowledge transfer workshops during Neurodiversity Celebration Week in March 2025. Finally, we will advocate for inclusive policies within Newham Police and the community, emphasising support over punitive measures. A guidance document on policing neurodiverse youth will be developed and reviewed by an expert panel, including project participants.

Partners: Newham Council and Police Foundation

Evaluation of the Tower Hamlets Family Hub Perinatal Mental Health and Parent Infant Relationships workstream

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start Date: 26 June 2024    
End Date: 31 May 2025

On behalf of Tower Hamlets Public Health, Healthy Children and Families Team, our research team at ICC will undertake a formative evaluation of the Tower Hamlets Family Hub Perinatal Mental Health and Parent Infant Relationships workstream.
The Family Hubs Programme is the delivery programme designed to implement the recommendations from the UK government policy ‘The best start for life: a vision for the 1001 critical days. Within the Family Hubs Start for Life programme are two workstreams for which the funding equated to an uplift to the annual public health grant. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the ‘Perinatal Mental Health and Parent-Infant Relationships’ workstream. The workstream has several minimum requirements to be met, as well as outcome measures to support the evaluation of specific interventions.
The workstream delivers Perinatal Mental Health and Parent-Infant Relationships services through four delivery partners (Sister Circle, St Luke's Millwall, Toyhouse, LBTH parental engagement team).

Partners: Tower Hamlets

Communities keeping well evaluation

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start date: 1 January 2024
End date: 31 July 2026

This evaluation aims to understand the impact of the programme on reducing health inequalities and preventing long-term conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and COPD. We also want to learn about the effectiveness of new partnerships and methods introduced by the programme. The programme's main goals are to improve LTC prevention among Core20PLUS populations, strengthen the role of Primary Care Networks in community health, and enhance collaboration with these populations in designing and delivering health services.

Partners: Tower Hamlets Council, PCNs, Tower Hamlets CVS

Exploring the potential of digitised approaches to social prescribing 

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Ainul Hanafiah

Start date: 1 September 2021  
End date: 31 July 2024 

This project, led by Professor Ian Tucker from the School of Psychology, Dr Atiqur Rahman Ahad from ACE, and Dr Ainul Hanafiah from ECR ICC, aims to explore how digital social prescribing (SP) can help improve and manage mental health issues. The research involves mapping digital SP interventions across the country, conducting interviews at five different sites, and selecting one site for detailed real-time data collection using technologies like Fitbit and mobile apps.

Community health equity programme 

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start date: April 2023  
End date: March 2025

The Institute of Connected Communities (ICC) will serve as a critical friend to the programme team, offering expert advice to foster evidence-based decision-making aimed at addressing health inequalities. Our role involves guiding the team in designing robust data collection methods, enhancing monitoring processes, and suggesting effective data analysis techniques. Throughout the project, we will prioritise research, information gathering, reflection, and learning, sharing our insights with Community Action Redbridge and other stakeholders to strengthen the program's impact. Additionally, we will provide coaching to the programme manager and M&E officer, along with group coaching sessions for the entire team, to support their development and ensure alignment with the program's goals of tackling health inequalities.

Partner: Community Action Redbridge

Common Health: Assets - a realist evaluation of how, how much and in what circumstances community-led organisations impact on health, wellbeing and health inequalities 

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Marcello Bertotti 

Start date: 1 September 2021  
End date: 31 August 2024 

This project aims to establish what effective community-focused approaches to maximising the potential of people as assets to improve health, wellbeing, and health inequalities, as well as what the mechanisms are underlying community-focused approaches that enable implementation and ensure scalability and sustainability.

Partners: Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Scottish Communities for Health and Wellbeing, Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC), New NHS Alliance, Queen’s University Belfast, Bournemouth University, Annexe Communities, University of Cambridge

Capabilities, Opportunities, Places and Engagement: Approach for Social Inclusion of Difficult to Reach Young People through a “Relational Proximity” Community Network (COPE)

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Marcello Bertotti

Start date: 1 December 2021
End date: 30 November 2023

The project aims to implement an integrated intervention based on an innovative and experimental ‘relational proximity’ approach for social inclusion of difficult-to-reach young people as well as the evaluation of how this intervention may add value and be integrated in the current design of NEET employment and social services.

Partner: Healthcare Trust, Province autonomous of Trento, Italy

STAR Social Transformation and Advocacy through Research Evaluation

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Darren Sharpe

Start date: 15 September 2021
End date: 31 October 2025

This project aims to create a specialist research training route that identifies and creates resources to address the impact of systemic racism and class inequality on research careers through an interconnected chain of activities, enhancing research and research advocacy skills from school to undergraduate to masters to doctoral levels.

Partner: OfS/Research England

The Tīpuna Project

Principal Investigator/Main Researcher: Dr Rachel Liebert

Start date: 1 February 2023
End date: 31 January 2026

The Tipuna (‘Ancestor’) Project (TTP) is Māori and Pākehā (White settler) collaboration based in Aotearoa to innovate and evaluate research practices that include Indigenous and settler ancestors to counter (1) the denigration of Indigenous ways of knowing/being, (2) the historically traumatic nature of the research space for Indigenous peoples and (3) low settler accountability, before translating these counter-practices for local and international decolonising initiatives more broadly. Using participatory action research (PAR) as both a methodology and a case study, we are asking overall: What are the decolonial possibilities and complexities of including ancestors as co-researchers in PAR?

Partner: UK Arts & Humanities Research Council

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