EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/R019584/1
Title: INGRAINED: Improving institutional governance arrangements and enhancing the quality of strategic decision making through PER
Principal Investigator: Price, Professor D
Other Investigators:
Jackson, Dr H Chaytor, Ms S Lock, Dr SJ
Cream, Ms L Smallman, Dr ML PRASAD, Dr A
Moore, Dr G Stilgoe, Professor J
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Office of Vice Provost Research
Organisation: UCL
Scheme: RCUK PER Catalysts
Starts: 01 October 2017 Ends: 30 September 2018 Value (£): 60,439
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
08 Sep 2017 SEE-PER Panel Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
This bid seeks to address the PER challenge of embedding PER culture and practice into UCL's high-level institutional strategy and decision-making. Specifically, we will examine how we can make PER fundamental to the university's efforts to address global societal issues through cross-disciplinary research by:

1. Creating mechanisms to apply PE learning to high-level institutional strategy focusing on cross-disciplinary approaches to addressing global problems.

2. Addressing the gap in culture and practice between professional services staff responsible for delivering PE strategy and academics who generate knowledge from publicly-engaged research.

3. Consulting both local communities and engaged researchers on how PE can apply local experience to global questions and be embedded throughout the research life cycle.

4. Piloting innovative PE approaches identified through consultation with local communities and engaged academics prior to embedding them in institutional research strategy.

The proposal will specifically address PER through the flagship UCL Grand Challenges programme, which brings together cross-disciplinary expertise from across UCL with knowledge and partners from other sectors to address pressing societal problems. The proposal will particularly seek to address the Grand Challenge of Transformative Technology, one of the seven recommendations arising from a 2015 review of the Grand Challenges for a renewed emphasis on achieving impact through, amongst other things, public engagement and engagement with community groups. This provides a specific opportunity to develop a PER strategy for the Grand Challenge of Transformative Technology, based on evidence, best practice and pilot activities, which will support new means of public and community engagement. Our intention is then to apply this to the broader Grand Challenge programme; the final report will be delivered to all six Grand Challenges working groups to consider how to develop new activities and work streams to better support PER.

Proposed activities:

The proposal's research project (a review of literature and best practice, and participatory workshops with local communities) will be led by UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS) academics and will draw on extensive expertise in science, democracy and culture, including work on: the inclusion and exclusion of publics in science; the relationships between research and practice in science communication; and the role of scientists, citizens and government in responsible research.

The proposal will further pilot public engagement activities (led by UCL Public Engagement Unit) for the Grand Challenge of Transformative Technology, building on existing academic-led public engagement best practice. Building on the outcomes from the participatory workshops, the literature review, and the evaluation of the pilot PER activities, we will develop an evidence-based, PER strategy for the GCTT. This strategy would also provide a blueprint for the other 5 GCs and, ultimately, inform the content of the revised UCL Research Strategy.

Our intended outcomes are to:

- evidence the value of PER in shaping strategic and high-level decision making, and in particular cross-disciplinary research strategy at UCL

- secure institutional buy in to this approach and expand it first to all of the other Grand Challenges and then more broadly to wider institutional strategies

- demonstrate the value of and effective approaches to PER and activities in HEI strategic high level decision making to the broader sector

- make conclusions and recommendations for PER in cross-cutting problem-based research more generally

- offer conclusions and recommendations on how to establish dialogue and partnerships between those responsible for devising and delivering PER strategy and academics engaged in public engagement-focused practice and research

Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: