This Mental Health Awareness Week (11^th-17^th May) we’re being asked to take action to support good mental health.

“Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and less powerless. And while our individual actions matter, when we come together we are even more powerful” – this is according to the Mental Health Foundation.

Good mental health doesn’t come from gimmicks or unproven wellness trends, but through everyday acts of care. That includes both self-care and caring for others.

Supporting health and wellbeing is a key area of focus for Interface, through our connections into Scotland’s universities, colleges and research institutes, and matching power for businesses. In fact, 72% of the collaborations Interface matched last year delivered social value.

Innovations have included developing online tools tailored for specific needs, such as recognising financial vulnerability, and research supporting wellbeing facilities widely accessible to a large part of Scotland’s population.

Getting a jump-start in the marketplace with a solid scientific foundation can also make a big difference to companies developing online platforms, bringing new tools to support mental health in different ways.

Financial behaviour and spending trends can be a key indicator of a person’s mental health – falling behind with rent or mortgage payments can flag that they are experiencing trouble beyond budgeting.

Savannah Price recognised the need for a solution that could help financial institutions identify and support customers grappling with the more “invisible” vulnerabilities like poor mental health and changes in life circumstances, and so she developed Serene, a platform for banks and financial institutions to support their customers.

Interface linked Serene with the University of St Andrews to explore the nuanced relationship between financial vulnerability and mental health, uncovering financial patters indicative of both existing vulnerabilities and early-warning signs.

The insights and methodologies gained from this research project have equipped Serene with a solid foundation to build their models and introduce them to the market with greater confidence.

Long term planning can benefit from early feasibility testing, as one major health and wellbeing company discovered.

Therme Group is an industry leader in the wellbeing sector with multiple major water-based wellbeing facilities throughout Europe – and with plans to open a centre in Glasgow. Interface was able to connect the company to the University of Glasgow when they wanted to form a strategic research partnership to help them improve operational delivery, minimise environmental impact and improve customer experience.

University of Glasgow is recognised for its strength in four key areas of research – Wellbeing Research, Informing Policy, Wellbeing Technology and Environmental Technology – directly relevant to Therme’s long term needs. This led to a feasibility study, funded through the Scottish Government’s Inward Investment Catalyst Fund, managed by Interface, which provided an evidence base for exploring the creation of a global Centre of Wellbeing Research Excellence (WellEX) in Glasgow.

The basis of the feasibility study was to raise awareness of the opportunity and develop connections between senior management at the Therme Group responsible for Innovation and the relevant Business, Social Science, Health and Technology academics and departments within the University. In particular, the feasibility exercise and subsequent discussions identified four areas of future collaboration where Therme’s interests and the University of Glasgow’s expertise aligned.

In 2018, a connection brokered by Interface set in motion a transformative collaboration between Welbot Ltd and the University of Strathclyde. What began as a project about workplace wellbeing, has evolved into a long-term, strategic partnership, resulting in a newly formed company Sentiental Limited (trading as Sentinel), that is tackling some of the most pressing health challenges faced by frontline workers today.

This long-standing partnership was recognised in this year’s Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards being shortlisted in three categories – Research and Innovation in Digital Health and Social Care, Innovation of the Year and Knowledge Exchange Champion (Dr Nicola Cogan and Dr Alison Kirk). The story of their success is shared in these videos.

These are just three business-academic partnerships tackling mental health and wellbeing through research. Whether your company is early stage or multinational, Interface can help. Contact us at info@interface-online.org.uk