Lles: a Welsh Hub for Doctoral Focal Awards in the Arts and Humanities

Lles is a consortium of all Wales’ universities, working in partnership with Welsh public and third-sector bodies. It will fund and train PhD students to investigate issues relating to wellbeing through the arts and humanities. Lles is a Welsh word that means ‘benefit’ or ‘wellbeing’. Its use here captures both how this cohort of students will benefit from training and career development and how their research on wellbeing will be for the benefit of wider society in Wales and beyond. Lles and its studentships will be guided by the ambition, principles and requirements of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (henceforth FGA). This legislation is globally unique in requiring all new legislation proposed by the Welsh Government to consider its impact on future generations. It obligates Welsh public bodies to set objectives and take steps to improve the economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of Wales against 7 wellbeing goals: prosperity, resilience, equality, health, cohesive communities, vibrant culture and Welsh language, global responsibility. Through the Act, Wales is the first nation to embed the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in domestic legislation. Lles’s doctoral students will undertake research projects that explore what and how arts and humanities subjects contribute to the understanding and realisation of wellbeing. Their PhD research will explore the artistic, cultural, and social dimensions of wellbeing in a variety of Welsh and international settings, past and present. In addition, through placements with public and third-sector bodies, students will undertake investigations and discussions of wellbeing that are evidence based, using their expertise to help bodies meet their FGA obligations and explore the applicability of arts and humanities findings in other contexts. In doing so, Lles graduates will create a step change in realising the aims of the FGA. They will contribute to the development and understanding of healthy people and places in Wales and beyond. To enable this, a bespoke, tailored and collaborative training programme will be created in partnership with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales. It will pool expertise and resources across Welsh HEIs thus building supervision and training capacity in Welsh HE, fostering a sense of community and co-learning amongst students, and producing graduates able to contribute to their disciplines, civil society, the economy, and institutions, both in Wales and internationally. Lles thus has five objectives: Train a generation of 40 researchers able to forge careers and make a difference across the public and private spheres in Wales and internationally. Produce high-quality postgraduate arts and humanities research and practice that addresses the cultural, physical and social wellbeing of people, planet, and place in Wales and beyond. Engage critically and constructively with the ambition, principles, and legal requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. Act as a convening hub for Wales’ arts and humanities postgraduate community to access training and staff resources beyond their own institution. Share and build capacity and expertise across the range of Welsh universities, with diverse missions and specialisms, thus strengthening arts and humanities provision and resilience in Wales. Through these objectives, Lles seeks to deliver a place-based response to the AHRC’s call that addresses the needs of Welsh legislation, HE, students and wider society, enhancing the wellbeing, health, and sustainability of all.