GW4 (universities)

GW4 (also known as GW4 Alliance or Great Western 4) is a consortium of four research intensive universities in South West England and Wales. It was formed in January 2013 by the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter to enhance research collaboration. It was launched at the House of Commons in October 2014. In 2014, the group launched a research project into the use of algae to clean up contaminated water at the Wheal Jane tin mine and extract the heavy metals. In 2015 the consortium secured £4.6M from the Medical Research Council for a collaborative PhD training programme in biomedical research.