Queen's Communities and Place (QCAP) has secured a recent portfolio of research funding that demonstrates the growing recognition of community and place-based research in addressing complex social challenges.

On the 6th September 2025, the Market Development Association (MDA), QCAP's community partner, convened the inaugural workshop in a series of community consultation sessions focused on the physical regeneration of the Stewart Street Site.

Dr Karen McGuigan (QCAP) attended the 39th Annual European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) conference, presenting findings from our recent arts-based programme funded through the AHRC Creative Communities Pilot Programme.

The South Belfast Primary Schools Partnership (SBPSP) held its annual conference on the Queen’s campus, Tuesday 26th August, bringing together close to 500 delegates — more than double last year’s numbers.

QCAP recently facilitated a workshop for partners involved in the Substance Use and Mental Health Interventions using Digital Technology (SUMIT) project. Supported by PEACEPLUS and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB)

We’re proud to announce the publication of this academic paper from Growing Up in the Market, a three-year qualitative longitudinal study exploring life in the Market community in Belfast.

In July 2025, representatives from QCAP and the MDA joined academic and community partners at the second Centre for Collaboration in Community Connectedness (C4) IU3 Workshop, hosted by the Brixton Project at International House in London.

My name is Sean French. I grew up in Castlewellan, Co. Down and South Belfast before moving to England to study Anthropology when I was 18.

As part of my CAST studentship, I had the opportunity to complete a three-month placement with one of QCAP’s community partners - the Market Development Association (MDA).

On Wednesday, 18th June, QCAP attended the launch of 'Making the Difference: the Market Community Transformation Initiative 2017–2024'.

Over the last week, QCAP has begun contacting participants in the Belfast Youth Development Study (BYDS) which began in 2001 when participants were 11-12 years old.

At a showcase event in Leinster House, around 20 elected representatives engaged in discussions with the Queen’s academics on an all-island approach to tackling climate issues, community-focused research and healthcare provision. 

On 12 June 2025, QCAP research fellow Dr Amanda Dylina Morse partnered with Michael McKenna at YouthAction NI to host Shoulder-to-Shoulder, a seminar on working with young men and affirming positive masculine identities.

A new QCAP research report has illustrated the growing economic, cultural and social impact of heritage tourism in West Belfast, providing fresh insights into how community-led tourism initiatives are contributing to reshaping the area's future.

On Wednesday 28 May, Queen’s and our academic and service delivery partners came together to launch the €6.8 million (£5.7 million) Substance Use and Mental Health Interventions using Digital Technology (SUMIT) project, funded through PEACEPLUS.

On the 30 April the QCAP team visited a cohort of students on the GP Academic and Research Training Scheme (GPARTS), along with Prof Helen Reid, Associate Director for General Practice and Primary Care for QUB, and her team.

On 20 March 2025, Dr Gareth Robinson, Engaged Research Lead for Education, Skills, and Inclusive Innovation (ESII), contributed to the Education Authority’s Extended Schools Clusters event, Developing Collaborative Networks.

Beginning in 1997, Pete held various youth work positions before evolving into community development and community education roles.

Professor Tony Gallagher writes about a recent visit to Loyola Marymount University (LMU), West Los Angeles, one of a network of Jesuit Universities across the United States.

As part of the ‘Market Stories’ project, led by Dr Karen McGuigan and Áine Brady (QCAP), in collaboration with the MDA, Market residents & Dr Stephanie Maguire (QCAP) recently visited the 'Bad Bridget' exhibition at the Ulster American Folk Park.

QCAP research fellow Dr Amanda Dylina Morse was recently invited to appear on a panel for BBC NI’s Talkback programme, hosted by William Crawley.

On the evening of 19 March, Dr Stephanie Maguire led a co-design workshop with academics and community stakeholders to initiate the development of a community-driven, co-designed intervention for young people’s substance use.

DTNI, in partnership with Carmichael, recently hosted the "Collaboration & Transformation" conference at the Draíocht Theatre in Dublin.

My name is Fabian Hofmann, and I am a PhD researcher for Technology and Governance (TaG) at the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences at ETH Zürich in Switzerland.

A significant initiative called the Craft-Kit to support physical regeneration in the Greater Shankill area has been initiated.

In November 2024 we kicked off our ‘Market Stories’ project, an innovative arts-based research project that will foster community connections to tackle the local health challenges of addiction and trauma.

In December 2024, QCAP launched an ESRC-funded project to revolutionise how neighbourhood-level changes are understood using Grid Square Data from the 2021 Northern Ireland Census.

This November, representatives from Queen's Communities and Place (QCAP) and the School of Nursing and Midwifery met with the Belmont Data Collaborative in Nashville, establishing the groundwork for a cross-Atlantic research collaboration.

The seventh and final session of our community co-designed Tackling Substance Use Education Programme took place on the evening of Tuesday 4 December in The Market community.

We are proud to announce that our collaborative application with six Belfast, anchor community organisations—key players in the landscape of inner-city community and urban development—has been successful.

Dr Victoria Graf, Professor of Education Emerita Loyola Marymount University and Dr Amy Hanreddy, California State University, Northridge and Lela Rondeau, Los Angeles Unified School District, visited QCAP on Thursday 21 November 2024.

The annual UK Town and Gown Association (UKTGA) conference is taking place in Manchester this year from 11-13th November, with the core theme: Building Bridges: Innovating Together for Sustainable and Inclusive Communities.

From 4th to 7th November, Queen’s Communities and Place (QCAP) joined the Innovation City Belfast (ICB) delegation at the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona.

Queen's Communities and Place (QCAP) recently facilitated a series of co-design workshops together with a diverse group of curriculum coordinators from 16 South Belfast primary schools.

We are delighted to share insights into an upcoming PhD research project by Amy O'Riordan, under the supervision of colleagues in QCAP (Queen's Communities and Place).

On Wednesday 9th October, in the Market Community Centre, we launched our ‘Amplify’ community toolkit, in partnership with the Market Development Association (MDA).

On Tuesday 8th October 2024 the fifth session in the community co-designed Tackling Substance Use Education Programme took place in The Market.

QCAP research fellow Amanda Dylina Morse recently attended the 20th European Symposium on Suicide and Suicidal Behaviour in Rome, Italy from 28-31 August.

Dr Karen McGuigan (QCAP Community Health and Wellbeing Lead) attended the 38th Annual European Health Psychology Society (EHPS) conference which was held in Cascais, Lisbon from 2nd-6th September.

Over 200 teachers, classroom assistants, and school leaders from primary schools across South Belfast gathered on the doorstep of Queen’s University for the inaugural South Belfast Education Colloquium.

On 22nd July, QCAP and the MDA welcomed Donegal-based musicians Onóir to Queen’s University and The Market.

On June 12th, Dr. Emma Loudon of QCAP facilitated a workshop focusing on critical priorities in future research into Parental Mental Illness (PMI).

“The Community Wellbeing Kitchen (CWK) is an initiative designed to help address identified ongoing community level challenges around mental health, physical wellbeing and the cost-of-living crisis in the Market area..."

Prof. Kathryn Higgins and Dr. Andrew Grounds, from Queen's Communities and Place (QCAP), were delighted to present the work of QCAP at the Strategic Insights Lab hosted by the Department for Communities.

The final workshop for QCAP’s Connected Communities project, dedicated to amplifying the voices of local communities in the context of urban innovation as our cities grow and change at an increasing pace, took place in Dublin on 11 June 2024.

QCAP participated in the Collaborating for Impact conference on 5th June, which focused on place-based change in education.

Session 3 in our community co-designed Tackling Substance Use Education Programme took place on the evening of Tuesday 4 June in the Market community.

Respondent validation is an important component of qualitative research and involved a researcher returning to community partners to “check” that their interpretation of the data is correct.

Queen's Communities and Place (QCAP) academics Dr Andrew Grounds and Prof. Brendan Murtagh were delighted to participate in a shared learning event organised by Housing Rights NI.

QCAP attended the celebration event for the Glens Healthy Places Programme and presented the findings of their evaluation work at Limepark in Armoy.

On Tuesday 7th May 2024 the second session in the community co-designed Tackling Substance Use Education Programme took place in the Market.

Professor John Johnston is the newly appointed UNESCO Chair in Issues Based Art Education at ArtEZ University of the Arts in the Netherlands.

On Tuesday 16th April, QCAP were delighted to attend and present at the UK Longitudinal Studies Annual Conference 2024 held at Queen’s University Belfast.

On Friday 12th April, the exhibition ‘The Market: A People’s Tapestry’ launched in 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast.

The evening of 9th April 2024 saw the launch of an innovative substance use programme in the Market community.

Digital inclusion was chosen by residents in the Market as our challenge area for year one of the ‘Growing Up in the Market ’ study.

QCAP is part of a multi-institution team awarded funding in a recent UKRI competition for £3.6m for a Strategic Co-ordination Hub for Local Policy Innovation Partnerships (LPIP) across the UK.

QCAP’s academics provide engaged research support for BUILD Shankill who are currently lobbying the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to release vacant sites for local housing redevelopment.

QCASTs is a live podcast series produced by QCAP academics in collaboration with individuals working to support local communities.

QCAP understands that the challenges and opportunities within place-based working in NI are reflected globally.

A proportion of direct investment was secured from the Department of Communities to support engagement with QCAP’s pilot Market community in South Belfast.

QCAP academics completed a social return on investment analysis to forecast the potential impact of a transitional homeless housing project proposed by a local social enterprise called East Belfast Mission.

QCAP academics have completed a policy facing research project on Community Wealth Building and explored its potential for creating alternative and more socially just economic models across Northern Ireland.

It is a pleasure to share the outstanding progress made by the QCAP initiative over its first 2 years. QCAP has played a central role in bringing to life Queen's ambitious civic and social responsibility agenda.

The Children’s Learning and Inclusive Places (CLIP) project was a joint initiative with the University of Glasgow completed by QCAP during 2022. This participatory action research project, involving the active engagement of children from the Market

On 6 December 2023, Dr Andrew Grounds and Professor Kathryn Higgins from QCAP presented at the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) Engage Online Event 2023.

The Community Wellbeing Kitchen (CWK) launched on Wednesday 29th November in The Market community, Belfast.

The week beginning 27 November saw our Community Innovation Practitioner (CIP) Pilot programme, co-created with our partners in the Market Development Association (MDA), gathering pace.

On 21 November 2023, QCAP Director Professor Kathryn Higgins presented on QCAP's Data for Action pillar at the "Data, Social Resilience and Preparedness” session held at Stormont Estate.

Prof. Kathryn Higgins and Dr. Andrew Grounds from QCAP were invited to present at the keynote panel for The ECIU Research Conference at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) on 3-4 October 2023.

Queen’s is one of five Higher Education Institutions across the UK to be awarded a Community Innovation Practitioner (CIP) Pilot by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Creative Communities programme.

During 2023, QCAP has continued to explore ways to provide relevant research or technical support to advance the objectives of the BUILD Shankill project.

On 27 June 2023, Dr. Andrew Grounds from QCAP presented the findings from a dedicated policy research piece on Community-led Housing in Northern Ireland.

QCAP recently hosted a group of students from the United States, as part of the Queen’s 2023 International Summer School.

Queen’s Communities and Place is delighted to be part of the successful team led by University of Birmingham in the recent UKRI competition for £3.6m for a Strategic Co-ordination Hub for Local Policy Innovation Partnerships (LPIP) across the UK.

In 2022, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) supported by The Young Foundation, announced a new funding competition for a series of Community Research Networks across the UK.

On 28 February 2023, QCAP, the Market Development Association, and the Drug and Alcohol Network (DARN) at QUB partnered to facilitate a community conversation in the Market around tackling substance use.

QCAP is delighted to welcome Dr Karen McGuigan to the team as Irwin Fellow in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

On Wednesday 22 February 2023, QCAP visited The Pantry to hand over the printed version of the impact evaluation statement we carried out for Ashton on The Pantry Community Supermarket.

We have worked with our community partner to establish an Education Action Group (EAG). Its aim is to enhance the community as a site for learning, ensuring that all residents have opportunities to develop skills for the future.

QCAP has recently launched QCASTs, a podcast series that is designed to bring information to life for communities on issues that really matter to them.

We have worked with our community partner to establish an action group to align the strategic direction of the Market Development Association and QCAP.

QCAP staff were on the ground throughout Christmas week packing and delivering food hampers to local families in need.

In December 2022, QCAP supported Market residents to take part in Naloxone training within a community setting, the first time this bottom up approach to training has happened in Northern Ireland.

On 7 November 2022, a delegation from Belmont University, Nashville, visited QCAP and The Market as part of a visit hosted by Queen’s International Office’s North America Team.

On 2 November, 41 children and young people joined with QCAP and Market Development Association (MDA) staff at W5 to collaborate on the co-design of the QCAP Summer Scheme next year.

The Early Career and Contract Researcher Network (ENCORE) launched on 31 October in The Great Hall at Queen’s University (QUB), with QCAP invited to discuss the advantages and impact of our transdisciplinary approach.

On 21 October 2022, Queen's Vice-Chancellor, Minister for Communities and senior DfC and NI Civil Service officials visited the Market area for a site tour and meeting with QCAP and Market Development Association.

We are working with our partner, the Market Development Association (MDA) to better understand the persistent challenges around health, education and employment.

On the evening of 27 September 2022, the Market Development Community launched its “Rebuilding the Local Economy” community survey. Guest speakers at the event included Minister for Communities Deirdre Hargey and QCAP’s Professor Brendan Murtagh.

On 23 July, QCAP travelled with our community partners from the Market in South Belfast to Dublin, for #DublinMaker2022.

For two days in June, QCAP welcomed a group of undergraduate students from Belmont University, Nashville, USA.

On 14 June 2022, Professor Tom Rodden, Chief Scientific Officer of Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and his team visited The Market for a tour of the area and discussions with members of QCAP and Market Development Association.

Since March 2022 QCAP’s Social Economy & Community Wealth Building Strand (SECW) has been engaging closely with BUILD Shankill—a community-led partnership that is working to address issues around vacant and derelict land across the Greater Shankill.

By facilitating a participatory research approach, a new QCAP initiative is helping to refurbish a community garden at St. Malachy Primary School in The Market.

Queen's University Belfast is developing a collaboration with colleagues at the University of Glasgow on a project that expands our work on student voice, the capabilities approach in research, and the role of place-based learning.

This week, members of the University of Glasgow’s Children’s Neighbourhoods Scotland initiative visited Queen’s Community and Place (QCAP) as part of a knowledge exchange trip.

Researchers and practitioners have identified five priority areas for Building Community Wealth: Assets; Places; Economy; Work; and Procurement.

Community members, including children, should be regarded as experts in their own lives and as active partners in evidence gathering, according to a paper by QCAP's Emma Loudon and Ben McAteer.

“The strength of our community fabric is one of our greatest assets” says Moira Doherty, Deputy Secretary for Engaged Communities Group in the Department for Communities in a contribution to QCaptures.

On 25 April 2022, members of QCAP travelled to the University of Glasgow to meet with our partners in Children’s Neighbourhoods Scotland, with whom we are collaborating on the Children, Learning and Inclusive Places (CLIP) Project.

On Monday 28 March, QUB Head Gardener Paul Wallace visited St Malachy's Primary School in The Market, to discuss QCAP’s plans to help refurbish the school pond as part of our Communities and the Knowledge Economy work strand.

QCAP team members Brendan Murtagh and Andrew Grounds recently presented research results at a Community Wealth Building event organised by Development Trusts Northern Ireland (DTNI).

The QCAP Senior Team welcomed Communities Minister to Queen's on 2 February to discuss ongoing community, policy and academic partnerships.

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA joined Professor Kathy Higgins, QCAP Director, and the team, at a prize giving in St Malachy's Primary School on Wednesday, 15 December 2021.

Queen’s students and academics have taken part in a number of sessions during the 10 week Community Education Programme.

Members of the Queen’s Communities and Place team, along with their community partners, hosted a visit from delegates of Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee to the Market area of South Belfast, Friday, 15 October 2021.

Deirdre Hargey MLA, the Minister for Communities, officially launched the Market Development Association's new 10-week education programme on 15 September 2021.

The partnership between Queen's and our local community partners was further strengthened and extended when the MDA hosted a group of cross-disciplinary academics in the Market Community Centre.