Lles: a Welsh Hub for Doctoral Focal Awards in the Arts and Humanities

Lles is a consortium of all Wales’ universities, working in partnership with Welsh public and third-sector bodies. It will fund and train PhD students to investigate issues relating to wellbeing through the arts and humanities. Lles is a Welsh word that means ‘benefit’ or ‘wellbeing’. Its use here captures both how this cohort of students will benefit from training and career development and how their research on wellbeing will be for the benefit of wider society in Wales and beyond.
Lles and its studentships will be guided by the ambition, principles and requirements of the Well-Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (henceforth FGA). This legislation is globally unique in requiring all new legislation proposed by the Welsh Government to consider its impact on future generations. It obligates Welsh public bodies to set objectives and take steps to improve the economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of Wales against 7 wellbeing goals: prosperity, resilience, equality, health, cohesive communities, vibrant culture and Welsh language, global responsibility. Through the Act, Wales is the first nation to embed the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in domestic legislation.
Lles’s doctoral students will undertake research projects that explore what and how arts and humanities subjects contribute to the understanding and realisation of wellbeing. Their PhD research will explore the artistic, cultural, and social dimensions of wellbeing in a variety of Welsh and international settings, past and present. In addition, through placements with public and third-sector bodies, students will undertake investigations and discussions of wellbeing that are evidence based, using their expertise to help bodies meet their FGA obligations and explore the applicability of arts and humanities findings in other contexts. In doing so, Lles graduates will create a step change in realising the aims of the FGA. They will contribute to the development and understanding of...