PRIME
Protecting Minority Ethnic Communities Online (PRIME)
Minority ethnic (ME) communities are more likely to experience systematic racism, discrimination, marginalization, harassment in the UK. Such inequalities lead to various issues when accessing vital public services related but not limited to health, housing and energy. As a result, as compared to other communities, ME communities are more likely to face issues such as overcrowded social housing, dissatisfaction in accessing health related services, fuel poverty and more. Accelerated since the pandemic, as more of such public services are moving online, the issues faced by ME communities are not only being replicated online but also worsening.
Mitigating this situation requires an urgent focus and action on the part of service providers, government as well as users in order to ensure open, safe and equal access for all citizens. In such a context, the Protecting Minority Ethnic Communities Online (PRIME) project, funded by UKRI, was initiated in 2022 to focuses on connecting all stakeholders, identifying the distinctive online harms that ME communities experience and then developing innovative policy guidance and toolkits for tackling these racial inequalities in the UK.
The PRIME project brings together a team of academics and researchers from five universities which share common goals in promoting research excellence, with a strong focus on tackling major contemporary societal challenges through multi-disciplinary working and public engagement: Heriot Watt University (HWU), Cranfield University (CU), the University of Glasgow (UoG), The Open University (OU) and the University of York (UoY). The team is equipped with relevant and complementary knowledge and skills in applied linguistics, cyber security and privacy, data mining and machine learning, human computer interaction and educational technology.
People
Prof. Gina Netto
Principal Investigator
School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS), Heriot-Watt University
Prof. Nazmiye Ozkan
Co-Investigator
Cranfield University
Prof. Agnes Kukulska-Hulme
Co-Investigator
Open University
Dr. Wei Pang
Co-Investigator
Department of Computer Science (MACS), Heriot-Watt University
Dr. Mark Wong
Co-Investigator
University of Glasgow
Dr. Siamak Shahandashti
Co-Investigator
University of York
Dr. Irina Rets
Researcher
Open University
Dr. Zinat Aboli
Research Associate
Cranfield University
Dr. Sara Bailey
Research Associate
Open University
Dr. Sacha Hasan
Research Associate
School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS), Heriot-Watt University
Dr. Farjana Islam
Research Associate
School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS), Heriot-Watt University
Dr. Aunam Quyoum
Research Associate
University of Glasgow
Eunice Anteh
PhD Student
School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS), Heriot-Watt University
Funding
Project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Duration: 01 August 2022 - 31 March 2025
Value: £ 1,466,412
EPSRC reference: EP/W032333/1
Partner Organisations
Contact
For more information or any questions, email our project manager at L.Whyte[at]hw.ac.uk, follow us on Twitter @protectingME or check out our website www.primecommunities.online
