University Fellow David Frayne wins ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize 2024
Dr David Frayne, University Fellow from the School of Health and Society, has been awarded the ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize for Outstanding Business and Enterprise Impact. The prestigious accolade, now in its 12th year, was presented at a ceremony in London on Wednesday 20 November 2024, in recognition of David’s groundbreaking research on the four-day working week.
The award, led by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), celebrates academics who achieve and enable exceptional economic or societal impact through their research. David’s work, developed in collaboration with Professor Brendan Burchell from the University of Cambridge and supported by Professor Daiga Kamerāde from Salford, focuses on improving productivity and well-being with a four-day working week.
The research, which was part of the world’s largest trial of a four-day working week, explores the benefits of reducing working hours without lowering pay. This concept, once a niche topic in academic circles, is now gaining global traction.
David said: “The proposal to reduce working time without reducing pay has undergone a remarkable journey over the past few years. No longer confined to academic manifestoes and labour histories, working time reduction initiatives are now being tested in organisations of all shapes and sizes. Governments are reaching out to us to learn more, and the idea is rapidly gaining public acceptance.
“I am so pleased that the ESRC wants to recognise our four-day week pilot studies as a key part of this journey. It is a welcome moment for us, and an opportunity to credit the work of our many academic partners, as well as our close collaborators at the Autonomy Institute.”
Alongside the positive impact on the organisations involved in the pilot, the vast majority of which have maintained the four-day working week, the research boosted interest in wider business and political domains. The team is now working on public sector pilots with a local authority in England and the Scottish Government, as well as informing a potential trial for the Welsh Government. It is also advising international governments, including Sweden and the US.
ESRC Executive Chair, Stian Westlake, said: "The projects featured in this year’s ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize 2024 demonstrate how social science can have a real effect on peoples’ lives both in the UK and abroad.
"They encompass some of the most pressing issues of our times, helping the victims of institutional scandals and potentially showing us the way to more fulfilling working lives. Together, they show how social sciences can inform the public debate and change the world.”
The ESRC Celebrating Impact Prize shines a spotlight on researchers who address critical issues through their work, making lasting contributions across diverse fields. This year's winners exemplify the transformative potential of economic and social research. David’s success underpins the University of Salford's commitment to impactful research that addresses pressing societal challenges.
David is one of our University Fellows at Salford; a group of 21 early career academics delivering transformational research across our four schools. The University Fellows are tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges through world-leading research and innovation - from climate change, inequality and wellbeing, to noise pollution and keeping our bees buzzing.
For their first two years at Salford, the University Fellows are focussing exclusively on establishing the foundations for research leadership and excellence in their fields. Innovators of the future, they are forming ideas that will shape the world.
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