The Liverpool and Lancaster Universities Collaboration for Public Health Research (LiLaC) was established in 2011. We are multi-disciplinary, drawing membership from across our two research intensive universities in North West England. Our goal is to better understand ‘what works’ to increase health locally, nationally and globally. We focus in particular on action to improve the social, economic and environmental circumstances in which people grow up, live and work. We are members of the NIHR School for Public Health Research and NIHR PHIRST, and our members contribute to the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for the North West Coast and the NIHR Research Design Service for the North West Coast.