A new approach to tackling inequalities
Introducing the Lincoln Institute for Rural and Coastal Health. Our purpose, our context, our ambitions.
Lincoln Institute for Rural and Coastal Health
Rural and coastal health in a changing world
The Lincoln Institute for Rural and Coastal Health (LIRCH) is the UK's first integrated and multidisciplinary research institute solely dedicated to understanding, highlighting, and ultimately reducing the profound place-based health inequalities that affect rural, remote, and coastal communities. Its establishment is a significant national development, backed by a £10.9 million UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Research England E3 grant. This funding highlights LIRCH's national recognition and proven capacity for world-class, impactful research focused on improving health outcomes for populations facing health disparities.
Working with communities
LIRCH is deeply committed to Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), fostering established networks for meaningfully engaging diverse rural and coastal communities, to ensure interventions are co-designed, culturally acceptable, and genuinely responsive to local needs. LIRCH’s commitment extends to policy influence and knowledge exchange, ensuring that context-specific knowledge translates into actionable healthcare solutions that genuinely improve the health and wellbeing of rural, remote, and coastal populations.
Located in Lincolnshire, a large county characterized by a predominantly rural population and over 50 miles of coastline, LIRCH benefits from an invaluable real-world setting to study and address these complex health challenges.
Rural and Coastal Health Toolkit
Our toolkit is a resource for those interested in developing health and social care research that is inclusive of all people regardless of where they live.
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Wide-ranging expertise
LIRCH operates with an inherently interdisciplinary approach, bringing together a diverse team of specialists from various fields to tackle complex health challenges. Research focuses on critical areas such as oral health, cancer care, infectious disease epidemiology, mental health, and sustainable remote healthcare delivery solutions.
If you'd like to find out more, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch at LIRCH@lincoln.ac.uk.
LIRCH Hippinghold Conference
22 April 2026
5 years. 10 million people. 20% greatest need. The Lincoln Institute for Rural and Coastal Health's Conference. Resetting the equity balance for rural and coastal communities.
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Hippinghold 2026 - Call for submissions
The Lincoln Institute for Rural and Coastal Health (LIRCH) invites abstract submissions for The LIRCH Hippinghold 2026, a one-day conference on 22 April.
Date: Wednesday 22 April 2026
Venue: EPIC Centre, Lincolnshire Showground
Cost: Free to attend (booking required)
To submit an abstract: LIRCH Hippinghold 2026 – Call for Abstracts – Fill in form
Delegate registration: The LIRCH Hippinghold 2026 Tickets, Wed, Apr 22, 2026 at 9:30 AM | Eventbrite
The "Hippinghold*" will bring together academics, policymakers, local government, healthcare professionals, community partners, third-sector organisations, industry, and community members to explore research, policy, and practice relating to rural and coastal health.
Abstract submissions are welcome from all sectors, not just academia. Submissions must relate to rural and/or coastal health and align with at least one of the core LIRCH themes (see above link).
(* Hippinghold: Noun Lincolnshire dialect circa 1779–1783 for a 'plan of gossiping or meeting of servants')
Important Dates
- Abstract submission closing date is 20 February 2026.
- Successful abstracts confirmed and communicated on 3 March 2026.
For further details regarding our data collection please review the 
LIRCH Privacy Statement Final.pdf .
LIRCH Privacy Statement Final.pdf .Please direct your questions to LIRCH@lincoln.ac.uk.
We look forward to receiving your submission!
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Our institute supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are an urgent call for action to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems, now and into the future.
