IPEM Partners with Physics of Life Network (PoLNET)

I wanted to highlight an opportunity available to IPEM members through our strategic partnership with the UK Physics of Life Network (PoLNET). This collaboration is intended to complement and strengthen the work we’re already doing across IPEM, while also giving members an exciting opportunity to help shape activity at the interface of physics, engineering and the life sciences.

Importantly, this partnership brings together two distinct but highly complementary perspectives. IPEM’s focus is on the next five years - driving real impact across healthcare, advancing professional practice, and supporting our members to lead and innovate in their fields. Alongside this, PoLNET takes a much longer-term view, helping to shape the research landscape and interdisciplinary direction of travel over the next 20–30 years. Engaging with both allows members to contribute to immediate priorities while also influencing the future of the field.

PoLNET has recently launched its fourth phase (PoLNET4), supported by significant investment from UKRI EPSRC and a number of leading research organisations, including IPEM. Membership of PoLNET is free and provides access to funded activities that bring together physical scientists, life scientists, engineers and clinicians to address shared challenges in healthcare and biology.

This provides an opportunity not only to engage, but to influence, whether that’s developing collaborations, shaping workshops, or contributing to emerging interdisciplinary priorities. There is a strong emphasis on supporting early career colleagues, alongside opportunities that are open more widely.

PoLNET will be running many initiatives, all aligned to strengthening collaboration across disciplines and complementing existing IPEM activity. There are also several open calls that members may wish to explore:

· Workshops – up to £6,000 to support focused, collaborative events

· Sandpits – funding for intensive, idea-generation sessions to develop new proposals

· ECR secondments – support for short visits to build interdisciplinary links

· Summer bursaries – funding for undergraduate research projects

The workshop funding in particular may be of interest for those looking to bring communities together around shared challenges, while also helping to shape the direction of future activity within this partnership. We are also planning a joint webinar in late spring and would very much welcome your engagement.

We’ll continue to share updates, but I hope this gives a helpful overview of how members can engage with, and help shape, the opportunities available.

Gill Collinson

CEO