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Woman Walking Outdoors

Research into Intervention, Safety and Empowerment (RISE)

Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls

Active: January - September 2026

Project leads

Principal Investigator: Professor Rose Broad

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Co-Investigators: Professor Mark Elliot, Dr Richard Kirkham, Dr Caroline Miles, Professor David Gadd, Dr Reka Solymosi

Summary

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains a widespread and underreported threat affecting safety at home, in public spaces and online.  

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According to official statistics, more than 200,000 sexual offences were recorded by UK police in England and Wales in 2024/25, and 2.2 million women aged 16+ experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025. Against this backdrop, the UK Government’s Safer Streets Mission has the unprecedented aim of halving VAWG in the next 10 years.  

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To help deliver this aim, RISE is an accelerated interdisciplinary programme led by SPRITE+ and VAWG experts at the University of Manchester, funded via the UKRI’s R&D Missions Accelerator Programme.  

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RISE also benefits from the support of the Network for Security Excellence & Collaboration (NSEC) and the SALIENT Hub.  

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RISE's programme of team-led projects, devolved funding and stakeholder engagement will share best practice, strengthen working relationships and lay the groundwork for future research, innovation and funding opportunities in VAWG.  ​​

Areas of focus:

RISE supports research and innovation that strengthens prevention, protection, policing and system‑wide responses to VAWG.  

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Priority areas include: 

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  • Understanding the drivers of abuse to improve prevention, education and risk‑identification. 

  • Improving safety in public and private spaces through technology, design, transport security and community initiatives. 

  • Strengthening policing and perpetrator management, including responses to online‑enabled crimes such as deepfakes. 

  • Accelerating justice system processes and improving how VAWG data is recorded, shared and linked. 

  • Protecting young people from harmful online/offline influences and identifying effective early interventions.  ​

1. Team-led substantive research

RISE’s four team-led projects aim to deliver: 

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  1. A rapid evidence review of literature on primary prevention 

  2. The development of an app on women runners’ public safety 

  3. An evaluation of multi-agency approaches to prevent high-risk perpetrators from reoffending 

  4. An analysis of Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) for matricide 

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We look forward to sharing the outputs and results of these projects as they progress. ​​​

2. Engagement and collaboration

We are interested in working closely with partners across academia, government, policing, industry and the third sector to strengthen evidence, share best practice and co‑develop innovative approaches to preventing and responding to VAWG.  

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This engagement ensures RISE’s research translates into real‑world impact, improving how offenders are identified and managed, and how survivors and those at risk of offending are supported. ​

Grant funding: Call for projects  

We are delighted to offer grant funding for up to ten short projects running between April and August 2026, focused on addressing the Safer Streets VAWG Problem Statement. These projects will help accelerate innovation and deepen our collective understanding of what works. 

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Please see the Call for Projects for full details including eligibility and selection criteria. 

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Closing date: 16/03/2026 at 09:00 GMT 

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Register to attend our webinar on Friday 13th February.

Advice and support

  • National Domestic Abuse Helpline (England): 0808 2000 247

  • Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Line (England and Wales): 0808 500 2222

  • Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline (Northern Ireland): 0808 802 1414

  • Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline (Scotland): 0800 027 1234

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