SPARK marks four years of collaboration and impact with anniversary showcase

The anniversary showcase, Four Years of SPARKing Change, took place on 16 April at sbarc|spark. The event reflected on SPARK’s journey to date as the world’s first Social Science Research Park, highlighting the strength of its collaborative ecosystem and the partnerships that have developed across academia, the public sector and industry.

The programme opened with a welcome from Professor Urfan Khaliq, followed by a ‘campfire conversation’ between Professor Chris Taylor, Academic Director of SPARK, and Professor Damian Walford Davies, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Attendees heard a series of short ‘lightning talks’ from SPARK research centres and member organisations, including the Hartree Centre Cardiff Hub, Disability Wales, CASCADE, the Centre for the Creative Economy, and EYST Wales. These contributions showcased the breadth of work taking place across SPARK and highlighted the importance of collaboration in addressing complex societal challenges.

The second part of the event focused on future opportunities, with interactive roundtable discussions exploring themes such as research culture, place-based collaboration through Cathays Futures, third sector partnerships, and the SPARK membership model. These sessions encouraged participants to share insights, experiences and ideas for strengthening collaboration across the SPARK community.

The event concluded with a forward-looking visioning activity, inviting attendees to imagine SPARK’s impact over the next five years and their role in shaping its future.

The showcase demonstrated not only how far SPARK has come, but also its ambition to continue evolving as a space for connection, creativity and collaboration.

To find out more about working with SPARK, including membership opportunities and upcoming events, visit the SPARK website or contact SPARK@cardiff.ac.uk.