Websites for Academic Networks and Research Centres

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Websites for research centres and networks

University departments, research centres, and graduate programmes each have their own priorities, and no two academic websites should look the same. We design and develop bespoke websites on WordPress, giving your team a content management system that is straightforward to maintain without specialist support, whether you are a small research group or a large, multi-institution network.

From funding announcements to event listings, our aim is a website that keeps pace with your work rather than holding it back.

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Let your members interact

An academic network’s website often needs to serve several audiences at once: current members sharing research and resources, prospective members deciding whether to join, and partner organisations or the public looking to understand what you do.

We build websites that reflect your organisation’s identity clearly, disseminate information to each of these groups, and, where needed, provide a member portal for researchers to connect, collaborate, and access shared resources directly through the site.

York Health Economics Consortium

York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) is a consultancy with a global reputation for health economics and outcomes research, but their previous website did not reflect their expertise or influence.

Castlegate redesigned YHEC’s website to strengthen branding, reduce technical complexity, and improve performance. We curated the data for more than 500 research publications to enable advanced filtering and a glossary search function. We added a bespoke WooCommerce integration that lets clients book multiple students onto a course simultaneously.

The accessible, high-performing website showcases the scope of YHEC’s work, reinforces their position as an industry authority, and supports their long-term business growth.

Find out more about YHEC

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The REFoRMS Project

The REFoRMS Project is a University of York research programme consolidating early phase clinical studies of treatments for relapsed and refractory rhabdomyosarcoma in children and young people. We built a bespoke WordPress website with a searchable, filterable database of published studies and ongoing clinical trials, structured to serve researchers and clinicians alongside families navigating treatment decisions.

Find out more about The REFoRMS Project

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Quantum Communications Hub

The Quantum Communications Hub brings together UK Universities, industrial partners and public sector stakeholders with the aim of producing next-generation communications technologies based on quantum physics research. Castlegate were asked to build a site which would enable the QCH to present itself to each of its distinct user bases (researchers, industry/government, and the wider community) in a unique way.

We achieved this by dividing the website into three subsites with a shared homepage. A carefully considered navigation system enables different user groups to quickly and intuitively access the information most relevant to them; and new content added to the site is automatically displayed on the relevant subsites. A modern design and distinctive photography of developing quantum technologies reflect the cutting-edge research being enabled by the QCH.

Find out more about Quantum Communications Hub

Valuing Voices

Valuing Voices is an academic initiative funded by the Wellcome Trust and led by the University of York. Its goal is to encourage researchers to embed equitable and sustainable principles into early project planning.

Castlegate designed an accessible online tool that gives research teams a practical framework for integrating the five principles of equity, risk, engagement, environmental sustainability, and reflection into their work. Valuing Voices is a multi-phase project and we supported this by configuring reporting to collect user feedback from the first phase, enabling them to make data-backed decisions about designing phase two to inspire equitable research over the long term.

Find out more about Valuing Voices

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Air Quality Hub

The Air Quality Hub is a government-funded resource and research network, providing a place for local authorities, air quality professionals and researchers in the UK to easily share knowledge about air quality related issues.

The site includes a number of features to make it as easy as possible for users to share and access information. A forum provides a place for users to discuss air quality strategy ideas with experts and colleagues. Users can easily upload content to their account, and a simple feedback system allows the most useful content to rise to the top. Tiered access levels give extra control within councils.

We integrated all these features – and more – into an easy-to-use and intuitive site design, ensuring that the site is accessible and useful for all.

Find out more about The Air Quality Hub

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AFN Network+

The UKRI Agri-food for Net Zero Network+ is an organisation of academics, farmers, producers and people working in the agri-food sector that is committed to identifying the research gaps that need to be addressed to reduce emissions and achieve the UK’s net zero goals. The network needed a website that would help them grow their membership and build a long-term legacy.

Castlegate built a professional website for the network, featuring an online directory with an advanced filtering system that lets members search for like-minded individuals by location, background and expertise. To encourage sign ups, we designed the registration process to be simple and friction-free. As a result, more than 500 people (a quarter of the membership) joined within the first few months. The website has become a one-stop shop for people in the sector and has enabled the network to reach out beyond academia.

Find out more about the AFN Network+

BioVale (THYME project)

BioVale drives innovation in green chemistry and agricultural research by connecting businesses and researchers in Yorkshire and the Humber. Having previously built their main website in collaboration with design agency Bivouac; Castlegate was asked to build a website for their new THYME project, intended to boost the bioeconomy in and around Yorkshire.

For this project we took on design duty as well, which gave us the freedom to produce an eye-catching and distinctive website that is fully tailored to BioVale’s requirements. The site features a complete network membership system, which enables new members to sign up online, and access exclusive information about the project and its other members.

Find out more about BioVale and The THYME Project

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Q-BEx

Q-BEx is a collaborative research project aimed at addressing questions of how best to measure the language experiences of bilingual and multilingual children.

The Q-BEx website is central to the project. It provides an online platform where speech and language researchers can create online questionnaires for bilingual and multilingual children. With the back-end of the site providing tools to make this process as effective and simple as possible for both researchers and participants; the front-end of the site serves as a public-facing information base for parents, teachers and other individuals and organisations.

Find out more about Q-BEx

Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub

The Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub is an initiative that aims to boost welfare standards for decapod crustaceans in seafood supply chains. To effectively convey their message advocating compassion and respect for crustaceans, the group needed a unique brand identity and an online hub where relevant research materials could live.

We crafted a distinctive brand identity featuring a memorable logo and a sleek yet playful visual style. An industry hub of gated content provides easy access to industry news, legislative updates, and research links free of charge. The ‘resources’ section contains an expansive directory of materials which can be filtered by sector, species, and type, for efficient and personalised searching. The hub has built trust among stakeholders, and has succeeded in grounding the conversation around crustacean welfare in science.

Find out more about Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub

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The Cemetery Research Group

The Cemetery Research Group is a community of academics which aims to expand global understanding of funeral culture. The group needed a new website that could be used by anyone in the discipline to efficiently access a huge amount of information and connect with like-minded scholars.

At the heart of the website sits an extensive bibliography of cemetery studies with an intelligent search plugin incorporated. The website also contains two vital directories: an expanding listing of researchers and links to institutions in the field. This has given the client the ability to reach a global audience for the first time, with the website forming an online hub which facilitates visibility and collaboration within a worldwide community.

Learn more about The Cemetery Research Group

IKnowFood

IKnowFood is a four year collaborative project investigating food system resilience. The project; a collaboration between the Universities of York, Liverpool and Manchester; required a new website to explain its aims and publicise its latest news and events.

We produced a simple yet eye-catching website including image galleries, videos and icons to promote and explain the project’s research. The site is built around the WordPress content management system, which enables project staff to easily post news updates, disseminate information and manage events.

Find out more about IKnowFood

Biomass Biorefinery Network

Castlegate was approached by Biomass Biorefinery Network, a new academic network who were in need of a website to allow them to support their growing community of researchers, academics and people in industry. The site needed to allow easy dissemination of news to members and the public, and provide a portal where members could find information about upcoming network events and funding opportunities.

Castlegate developed a modern and highly usable website, built around existing branding. The website includes an easy-to-use sign-up system, and a feature-rich portal which enables over 600 active users to interact with other members of the network.

Learn more about Biomass Biorefinery Network

Evidence for the Frontline

There is a lot of academic research into the most effective approaches for teaching in schools. We were approached by a consortium including the Institute for Effective Education (IEE) and Sandringham School who wanted to develop an online system to bring this world of academic expertise to the service of teachers at work in UK schools.

Find out more about Evidence for the Frontline

CONNECTED – Community Network for African Vector-Borne Plant Viruses

CONNECTED is a Vector-borne Disease Network awarded to the University of Bristol, UK. It is funded by the UK government Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) which supports research on global issues affecting developing countries.

Find out more about CONNECTED – Community Network for African Vector-Borne Plant Viruses

Websites for research centres