Research Projects

The UKRI-funded community renewable energy project tests solar, battery storage and smart grid packages for suburban West Midlands neighbourhoods. Living laboratory data from the Edgewater campus informs recommendations for housing associations and local authorities.

Interim findings will be presented at the October 2026 research seminar; final reports due 2028.

Developed by Luma nursing students and adopted by three NHS trusts, the peer-support toolkit improves placement experiences for student nurses. Evaluation shows reduced anxiety and faster competency development in clinical skills.

The project exemplifies student-led research with direct service impact, recognised at the 2026 NHS Partnership Awards.

Over 12,000 items documenting West Midlands industrial heritage are now online, including chain-maker diaries, munitions factory photographs and miner oral histories. School curriculum packs support history teaching across the region.

PhD research linked to the archive explores interwar housing conditions in Luma using sanitary inspector reports.

Collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover applies machine learning to predictive maintenance on production lines. Luma computing researchers develop algorithms tested on anonymised sensor data from Gaydon facilities.

The project funds three PhD students and offers placement opportunities for MSc Data Science students.