Aims of the Well-being Institute
The Well-being Institute (WBI) is a new cross-disciplinary initiative which aims to promote the highest quality research in the science of well-being, and to integrate this research into first rate evidence-based practice.
WBI Vision
To create a world-class centre within Cambridge University for the scientific study of well-being, which will make a major contribution to the development of new knowledge and its application in enhancing the lives of individuals and of the institutions and communities in which they live and work.
WBI Objectives
- To initiate an integrated research programme within the University of Cambridge.
- To build a network of the Cambridge-based research organisations with interests in the scientific study of well-being and its applications.
- To produce a cohort of talented young scientists who will further advance the science of well-being and explore novel applications.
- To develop evidence-based training packages for the enhancement of well-being across the health, education, industrial and commercial sectors.
- To establish mechanisms for knowledge exchange with industry through major partnerships and consortia.
- To work closely with Government, NGOs and other policy-making bodies to ensure that well-being outcomes are seen to be as important in evaluating the success of policies as economic and other outcomes.
- To develop a reputation for providing reliable, evidence-based information about the nature of well-being and how to enhance it, through the internet and liaison with the media.
Partnerships and Collaborations
We welcome leading experts from all disciplines to work with us to create new ways of thinking about key areas of our lives, such as education and healthcare, the workplace and the environment.
We welcome partnerships with the public and private sector to develop evidence-based well-being programmes, tailored to their specific needs and evaluated with reliable and compelling outcome measures.
Fundamental research on the life course antecedents of well-being, on the effects of well-being in older adults, and on the enhancement of well-being through improved design of products and environment, has been funded by the Leverhulme Trust, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Isaac Newton Trust and the US National Institute on Aging.
Action research includes the development and application of psychological interventions to improve well-being among school children, in patients and in the workplace, using randomised controlled trials. A pilot study in a group of patients with cancer has recently been completed and submitted for publication
Dissemination is ongoing in the form of publications in peer-reviewed journals, keynote lectures at national and international conferences, engagement with the general public to promote the public understanding of science, liaison with the media, membership of government and NGO advisory bodies, and publication of research reports and design guidelines. We have also published two seminal books on the science of well-being (see Publications).
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