Institutional Context
Summary
The University of Westminster was established over 180 years ago as London’s first Polytechnic, now with campuses in central London and Harrow. Our student population exceeds 19,000 across undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional courses. The University has over 183 industry partners ranging from large corporate institutions to SMEs, charities, creative and cultural industries and a wide range of employers.
Our commitment to supporting research and knowledge exchange (KE) is captured in our Institutional Strategy ‘Being Westminster’ and specific research and KE policies and strategies.
Our three Colleges – the College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and the Westminster Business School – provide a distinctive academic structure that emphasises Westminster’s strengths in pushing disciplinary boundaries.
Institutional context
The University’s purpose and values are articulated in ‘Being Westminster’ (2022-29). Our research and knowledge exchange activities enable us to maximise our positive impact on societies in the UK and around the world in an environment where everyone is inspired to succeed. Our location at the heart of London together with our global outlook puts us in an excellent position to make a strong impact on local and international communities. The University is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, as reflected in our teaching, and learning delivery as well as research track record.
Our values support our purpose. We champion social purpose, social inclusion, social justice, equality and diversity, and working collaboratively to promote and build a stronger, healthier and safer society. We are progressive, compassionate, and responsible as an employer and as provider of higher education and seek to make a sustainable social impact in all we do to become an internationally recognised University with students from 169 countries. We pride ourselves on the considerable diversity of our student and academic population.
Through our distinctive and focussed KE activities we continue to work with businesses, industry partners and local communities in the pursuit of positive and sustainable social and economic impact, including in ways that deliver an exceptional and engaging learning experience and employment outcomes for our students (Knowledge Exchange Strategy 2020-23).
We deliver our strategies for Research and KE through our 4 Research Communities: Arts, Communication and Culture; Diversity and Inclusion; Health, Innovation and Wellbeing, and Sustainable Cities and the Urban Environment. These facilitate interdisciplinary activities that align with the government’s Build Back Better growth plan by focussing on Skills, Innovation, Netzero, Levelling up, a Global Britain and Infrastructure.
Research and KE foci include, but are not limited to: (a) an exploration of dramatic transformations in the environmental, technological and communication landscape impacting on social, cultural and political issues globally; (b) an enquiry into what enables or prevents specific citizen groups from taking a full part in society; (c) how digital and big-data technologies support health and privacy; (d) innovations in healthcare delivery, including patient data, healthcare systems, processes and security; (e) digital technologies and big-data approaches to changing communications, transport, supply-chain management.
Supporting our students’ entrepreneurial ambitions is a central part of our KE strategy. We have expanded our Westminster Enterprise Network to provide support to students and graduates from all courses across the University. We plan to create a new Centre for Employability and Enterprise at 29 Marylebone Road to increase opportunities for greater collaboration between our students, researchers, and the business community.
Specific KE emphases and strengths for the University include: (a) Public, Community and Policy Engagement; (b) Contract Research and Consultancy; (c) Employer Engagement; and (d) Skills and Professional Development. Emerging areas of activity include IP and commercialisation initiatives.
For further information, please send queries to M.Swijghuisenreigersberg1@westminster.ac.uk
Local Growth and Regeneration
Summary of approach
The University has campuses in Westminster, central London, and Harrow and serves one of the most diverse populations in the UK. Our approach to local growth and regeneration reflects our core mission to provide opportunities that will help to transform the lives of those living in these diverse communities. Our local focus is centred on supporting areas around Westminster and Harrow. Our regional focus is informed by the needs of students and communities further afield across London. Through delivering projects supporting London’s sustainability targets, reducing London’s suicide rate on the city’s transport network, and providing the physical infrastructure to help address London’s skills shortage, we contribute to tangible outcomes which support economic and social inclusion across our city.
Aspect 1: Strategy
Our local and regional focus and context
These areas are important to us given they surround our University’s campuses. It is where our students and their communities are based. The University’s central London campuses are located within the borough of Westminster, alongside some 120,000 businesses from a range of sectors, including creative, media and technology companies and the financial services sector. The borough has by far the largest number of enterprises out of any London borough, with 49,500 enterprises, representing 11.3% of the London total 432,000 enterprises. The University’s Harrow Campus sits within the Growth Area of Northwick Park, Brent. Brent’s population is projected to grow by at least 17% and reach 400,000 people by 2040. Brent is home to many communities and is one of the most diverse boroughs in London. Almost two thirds of the population or 64% are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, the third highest in London.
Our focus on the wider London region is informed by the experiences and needs of our students. Amongst our London domiciled students 71.8% are BAME, 65.4% come from geographical areas in the lower two quartiles of the Index of Multiple Deprivation, and 45% live in areas poorly served by public transport. Working to ensure that these diverse communities across the Greater London region have access to the city’s social and economic resources is core to our institutional mission.
Stakeholder and Partner-led Identification of need
We have identified the local growth and regeneration needs of these areas through extensive engagement with our local business and civic partners to listen to and understand their priorities. This includes engagement with our local Borough Councils and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), including the Baker Street Quarter and the New West End Company and wider regional engagement with the Greater London Authority (GLA). Ongoing dialogue continues through our membership of the Boards of our local BIDs, work with local landowners such as the Howard de Walden Estate and attendance at regular local community and business events, to ensure that we hear local needs directly. We are active members of local and regional business organisations such as Westminster Business Council, BusinessLDN and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). This includes participation and engagement in working groups to identify and address London’s skills needs, such as LCCI’s Skills, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee and contributing to the House of Commons ‘Environmental Audit Committee Green Jobs 2021-22’ enquiry on the importance of job quality in green jobs.
Local growth strategies have also informed our approach. The City of
Westminster’s ‘Fairer
Westminster’ strategy seeks to build a more inclusive city that
celebrates “our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and
visitors from all backgrounds feel welcome and safe.” This aligns with
our institutional history of promoting social inclusion, reducing
inequalities, and combatting discrimination. The Brent
Inclusive Growth Strategy identifies local priorities for the
economy, education and skills, housing, infrastructure, environment,
health and culture. The strategy’s focus “to ensure that everyone, no
matter their background, has the choice to participate and benefit from
growth in the borough” aligns with the University’s inclusive approach
to regeneration and local growth.
Within our region, we have identified a strong entrepreneurial ambition.
Analysis of Companies House data reveals that between January and June
2021, more than 340,500 new businesses were registered in the UK, an
increase of 32% from 2019, with a third of those registered in London,
thus signalling a rise in entrepreneurship to help drive the economic
recovery. Therefore, meeting the skills needs of a growing regional
business community is central to our local growth and regeneration
activities. The London Chamber of Commerce's 'London
Skills Survey' 2022, reported on the areas where skills gaps were
most common. Of all the skills gaps, the largest gap according is in
advanced digital skills within their current workforce: 34% of SMEs and
22% of micro companies reported a shortage of advanced digital skills.
In addition, 86% of SMEs reported barriers when trying to address skills
needs, with 10% of businesses citing this being due to being unable to
find or access the required training.
London’s wider skills priorities are outlined in the Mayor of London’s Skills for Londoners Strategy which outlines the Mayor’s vision for “making sure Londoners, employers and businesses get the skills they need to succeed in a fair, inclusive society and thriving economy” aligning with our commitment to supporting all individuals to achieve their potential.
The University created a new Business Engagement Directorate in December 2020 to lead and coordinate the University’s business, industry and employer engagement strategy, which has included the expansion of our Creative Enterprise Centre into Westminster Enterprise Network to “connect students with the world of work to solve real-world problems and widen participation in entrepreneurship, enterprise opportunities, and education”.
Aspect 2: Activity
Supporting local regeneration
Our key activity supporting regeneration in Brent is organised around
our work on the One Public Estate in Northwick Park. We are working with
Brent Council, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
(Northwick Park Hospital), and a local housing association to develop a
regeneration
masterplan that meets the local needs of residents by “delivering
new high-quality homes, increased investment in the local hospital,
improved infrastructure and transport connections, as well as enhanced
facilities for education and employment.”
Funding has been secured from the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the
One Public Estates Programme to support this work. We worked with our
partners to submit a planning application that was recommended to the
GLA for approval by Brent in March 2021. The application includes plans
for the demolition of existing buildings and structures on the site, to
allow for the redevelopment of a residential-led mixed-use development
to provide up to 1,600 residential homes, new student facilities and
ancillary retail and commercial space.
In the Spring of 2021, the University provided a specialised service to homeless women living in sheltered accommodation as part of ‘the Marylebone Project’ pilot, directly responding to Westminster’s homelessness challenges. Twenty undergraduate accounting students were trained in specialised accounting packages for QuickBooks and Excel. The students transferred their acquired knowledge to ten of the women in the shelter, to support the women’s employability and help them launch their new or ongoing small businesses. This has helped to set them on the right path to independent living and financial independence.
Supporting a Skilled and Inclusive Workforce across London
In November 2021, the University committed to investing £23m awards in the refurbishment of 29 Marylebone Road to create a central building at the University to focus on addressing the skills needs of London’s business community. The key objectives of the Centre include inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability, thereby directly addressing the needs of our local area and region. The Centre will include specialist training facilities for our short courses and apprenticeships which will enable us to scale up our existing offer, creating a more flexible provision to meet local skills needs. Digital Skills training facilities will support the delivery of courses to upskill and reskill individuals, directly addressing the skills needs identified in LCCI’s 'London Skills Survey' 2022.
Responding to the local entrepreneurial ambitions, the University has invested to extend its support for aspiring entrepreneurs and creative freelancers. From 2017-18, the Creative Enterprise Centre (CEC) supported students in creative disciplines to develop their skills and networks to succeed as professional freelancers, thus contributing to the growth of the creative economy. The CEC connected students to creative briefs from employers, providing local businesses with access to specialist knowledge and expertise. The CEC has since grown to become the Westminster Enterprise Network (WeNetwork), with increased resource and reach to support students from all disciplines across the University. Student uptake is strong, with attendance growing from 290 in 2017/18 to 3080 attendees in 2021-22 across 100 events. WeNetwork has worked with external partners, such as Santander on the Big Idea Competition: in 2021-22 20 students shared a prize fund of £24k.
Recognising Alevi Pupils: ensuring all Londoners have the
chance to succeed
To help address London’s inclusivity challenges, the University has
conducted collaborative research with the British Alevi Federation (BAF)
since 2010 to address the negative identity of Alevi youth and their
marginalisation in schools. Young people proposed Alevism lessons as
part of the Religious Education curriculum, leading to collaboration
with local schools to produce curriculum content for Key Stages 1 to 3.
Alevi pupils report a sense of belonging to their schools, their results
improved, and their religious identity feels legitimised. Alevi parents
demanded the lessons be taught in other schools and approximately 70 UK
schools offer them, with support from BAF and the University. In 2022,
Enfield Local Education Authority announced that Alevism lessons would
be taught in all their 86 schools from 2023.
Active Travel Academy (ATA): creating a greener
London
To address local and regional strategies for London to become a more
sustainable city, the ATA worked with partners such as Transport for
London (TfL), the National Institute for Health Research, the Department
for Transport, and Impacts on Urban Health to identify, evaluate, and
promote approaches that support active transport. The ATA’s research
into Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) has shown that LTNs lead to
increased active travel, reduced car ownership, and reduced injury risk.
The ATA has explored the distribution of LTNs in London, showing that
they were on average located in areas of higher deprivation. Another
focus of the ATA has been to investigate media reporting of road
collisions: ATA’s research suggested that this can help reinforce
negative perceptions of walking and cycling and with journalist Laura
Laker, drawing on ATA’s research, the University co-produced the Road
Collision Reporting Guidelines. These aim to help journalists improve
reporting of road collisions, and were supported by organisations
including the AA, British Cycling, and Transport for London.
London Transport Suicide Prevention Programme: contributing to a happier London
To promote the wellbeing of Londoners, the University secured £250k from Network Rail to work with Network Rail, TfL and the Samaritans to understand why people take their lives on the railways and London’s tube network. This work helped the railway industry, a key industry in London, to understand why people might choose railway locations to make a suicide attempt and what can be done to prevent suicides at rail locations. Our research led to the ‘small talk saves lives’ campaign and suicide prevention actions taken by TfL and the Rail Safety Standards Board, supporting the wellbeing of our wider London community.
Aspect 3: Results
Supporting local regeneration
Working in collaboration with members of the Brent Partnership, we are promoting growth and redevelopment of the Harrow campus and surrounding areas. Our contribution has helped ensure that future development will meet the need for new housing and infrastructure that supports positive outcomes for all members of the local community – including affordable homes, and the development of ‘new commercial and community uses to help the new area of Brent thrive’.
Our increased focus on engagement with local stakeholders through the BIDs, local and regional business networks and local authorities has resulted in a much stronger connection between the University and the local and regional ecosystem. The Baker St Quarter now regularly promotes University services and events to its members across its social media channels and the University has delivered several events in partnership with Westminster Business Council. The University now works closely with local landowners on regeneration and community programmes: the Howard de Walden Estate and Shaftesbury Capital support several programmes which are helping to diversify the talent pipeline entering the Real Estate sector.
Supporting a Skilled and Inclusive Workforce across London
Our successes in providing skills training to support individuals to start a business has led to a significant increase in the number of our graduates who are starting a business. In 2017-18, the University returned 11 graduate start-ups, and by 2020-21 this had grown to 137 (HEBCI Survey). This has informed plans for continued expansion of WeNetwork, alongside the opening of 29 Marylebone Road as a new Centre for Employability and Enterprise. The decision to invest in this Centre by the University to create a new ‘front door’ for business and the community reflects the impact of our work and has strengthened our commitment to opening enterprise training and enterprise opportunities to all students and others in the local community, further contributing to local growth and regeneration.
Utilising our research base to make a difference to Londoners
The University contributed to Alevism being recognised as a religion
for the first time in the 2021 census, allowing individuals to be
officially counted for the first time. The University was established
and recognised as the UK hub of Alevi Studies, through publishing
special issues on Alevi research for national journals and National
Identities in 2018, and Kurdish Studies in 2020. These were pioneering
and led to the establishment of an international biannual conference on
Alevis and Alevism Studies.
Research by the Active Travel Academy (ATA) into LTNs and related
policies, such as School Streets and cycle tracks, is frequently cited
by London’s leaders including Sadiq Khan as providing an evidence base
for policy. The ATA’s ‘Road Collision Reporting Guidelines’ have
contributed to changes in practice, including the Government starting to
use ‘collisions’ in place of ‘accidents’, one of the key recommendations
of the report.
There has been a significant decrease in suicides on the London Tube and
increasing lifesaving interventions, which the University’s research has
contributed to. Our work informed training for TfL staff and British
Transport Police (BTP) on suicide prevention: over 4,200 TfL staff have
been trained in the suicide prevention programme. The campaign has also
won an impressive number of industry and public sector awards. TfL
reported seeing an unprecedented drop in suicides on the network of a
third in two years, representing the first two-year consecutive drop for
almost twenty years.
Communicating and acting on our results
In addition to the conferences, publications and official guidelines, we frequently share and celebrate the results of our projects across the University website – on our Impact and Case Studies pages – and across our social media channels. Furthermore, progress and results are shared regularly through the University’s online blog and through webinars, providing a space for interaction with, and comment from, a wider audience.
Public & Community Engagement
Summary of approach
The University of Westminster’s refreshed strategy ‘Being Westminster’ (2022-29, p.15) has an explicit commitment to supporting public and community engagement as part of its Knowledge Exchange (KE) activities. The University’s overarching strategy is mirrored in its KE strategy (2020-23: under revision) which commits to showcasing the University’s values and inclusivity through its public engagement agenda. This progressive agenda delivers new insights that are compassionate and responsible. To do this successfully, the University supports its students and staff through: (a) appropriate governance structures; (b) evaluation and ethics training and infrastructural support; (c) investment in public engagement-led projects via QR, HEIF and Quintin Hogg Trust; income and (d) pathways to promotion for KE that include a recognition of public engagement successes.
Aspect 1: Strategy
Strategic Approach
The University of Westminster’s refreshed strategy ‘Being Westminster’ (2022-29, p.15) sets a highly progressive strategic agenda with particular commitments to working in ways that are inclusive, compassionate and responsible. The strategy has an explicit commitment to supporting public and community engagement (PCE) as part of its Knowledge Exchange (KE) activities. The University’s overarching strategy is mirrored in its KE Strategy (2020-23: under revision) which commits to showcasing the University’s values and inclusivity through its public engagement agenda.
Public and Community needs and EDI considerations
The University champions EDI and proactively integrates this across all aspects of its work including activities undertaken with our external partners and stakeholders. Internally the University has strategically committed to taking positive action to increase diversity in its leadership across all areas of work. Externally, the University seeks to promote and conduct PCE initiatives which reflect its values as progressive, compassionate, and responsible. An emphasis on diversity and inclusion is also reflected through one of the University’s research Communities, Diversity and Inclusion which examines EDI more specifically through its research, KE and PCE initiatives. Public and community needs inform EDI-related considerations across the board. PCE projects are implemented using logic-model-based approaches, yielding successful outcomes (see ‘activities’ section below). The University’s KE and Research-related policies ensure work is undertaken ethically and with integrity.
Stakeholders, Distinctiveness and Context
Stakeholders are predominantly based in the London boroughs of Westminster, Brent and Harrow, where flourishing relationships exist with local Councils and employers in particular. Increasingly, and in alignment with the University’s strategy (2022-29) The University of Westminster is developing international, in-country relationships designed to deliver excellent education for the public benefit in places such as Tashkent, Uzbekistan via Westminster International University in Tashkent (WUIT). WIUT and the University of Westminster continue to increase research links, mobility, CPD/short courses and other KE activities. Both institutions have developed joint virtual activities via employer engagement/enterprise projects as well.
Governance Structure
The University supports public engagement with its research as well as its wider teaching activities. Public engagement and knowledge exchange are viewed as potential routes to specific kinds of impact and are aligned with the University’s REF agenda. These agendas are spearheaded by a PVC Research and the PVC KE. The PVC KE holds institutional responsibility for the Public Engagement agenda. They are supported by professional services and teaching-led units across the University.
The University has a Research and KE steering committee which reviews Research and KE activities. Reports from this committee are shared with University Executive Board and the University Planning Committee. Reports are also noted by the Academic Council. To facilitate interdisciplinary research, KE and PCE activities, the University has created four Communities which are underpinned by interdisciplinary research groups and centres (also see KEF institutional narrative).
Resourcing for PCE
Resourcing for PCE is both through monetary allocations via for example REF quality related income streams where PCE activities yield evidence of research impact or via the Quintin Hogg Trust funds. Professional staff time is supported through baseline funding, HEIF income and QR income streams. Staff time for PCE is embedded in professional staff roles and in the academic workload model and promotions process (also see support section).
Aspect 2: Support
Professional Support
Professional areas which embrace an awareness of and support for PCE include: grant acquisition; ethics and integrity; researcher development; impact, KE and PCE evaluation support and KE and Collaboration activities. The Research and Knowledge Exchange Office (RKEO) also supports the Westminster University Press (WUP) which makes research outputs available to readers of the public. Beyond the RKEO other University services supporting KE and PCE include: Marketing and Communications; the Business Engagement Directorate; and events coordinators in each of the Colleges (3). The Head of Public Affairs plays a strategic role in coordinating and planning these cross-university activities; whilst the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility has a role in managing engagement with specific community groups, particularly regarding student/staff volunteering, ensuring alignment with the University’s growing Social Enterprise agenda.
The Quintin Hogg Trust funds projects for staff and students, supporting a broad range of activities proposed by University staff, students and external PCE stakeholders (see examples below). Quintin Hogg Trust (QHT) activity is supported by a variety of staff, including 1 FTE which looks at research, KE and PCE projects for doctoral researchers. The Centre of Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) supports QHT-funded student and partner-led teaching and curriculum development work, including PCE-led collaborations. Academic time for PCE is covered via the academic workload model under KE actions.
Training, Digital and Physical infrastructure
To accommodate the responsible collection, sharing and storing of research-and KE related information relevant to PCE initiatives the University has a number of policies, including those for: research data management policy; researcher code of good practice; ethical guidelines, security and open access. Training and support are delivered through the RKEO on research impact, PCE and KE evidencing and evaluation by an Impact Officer (1).
Across the past three years, 20 training workshops related to knowledge exchange have been delivered, reaching approximately 160 academics. These sessions have focussed on providing academics with guidance on how to generate impact from research and PCE. The University’s online Researcher Development Hub was created, showcasing interactive training sessions. The “Self Service” section features a range of support videos. The relevant videos have accumulated 1305 views (220 for PCE and Impact)
Ethics and integrity training and support are delivered through School and College – level structures and ethics committees, supported by an Ethics Officer (1); a researcher development officer (1) in the RKEO. Data capture is provided by a central Virtual Research Environment (VRE) system which records instances of public engagement for HE-BCIS reporting purposes and records and stores applications for ethical approval of research and KE initiatives which include PCE.
Ethics workshops run 3 times per annum with an average of 11 persons per session. Separate sessions (2 annually) are also delivered to doctoral researchers.
Additional support for the HE-BCIS return and PCE data collection activity is delivered through the KE and Collaboration team (2 staff).
Academic Work Allocation, Reward and Allowance
The University has also appointed Research and KE leads at College (3) and School levels (12), who act as PE champions and are responsible for planning for the implementation of the University-level KE and Research strategies. Additionally, the University implemented a pathway to promotion for KE, which includes PCE activities.
Aspect 3: Activity
Our public and community engagement is focused on building bridges with our locality supporting students and colleagues to engage in citizenship activities on our doorstep. Examples include: The ‘Students as agents of change in knowledge exchange’ project, which enhanced relationships with our local community (200 students over 2 years) ‘Education on the Inside’: is an innovative service-learning model allowing Westminster humanities students to deliver degrees across the local prison estate through two standalone 20 credit Level 3 modules designed for inmate learners. Business students engaged in building stronger communities transferring knowledge of financial and accounting to homeless women setting up their own start-ups.
The University’s Soho Poly Theatre, which, faced with sudden lockdown in March 2020, reconfigured itself as an online cultural space mounting its first online production, ‘Dance’, providing work for local actors, designers and directors struggling with the severe impact of the pandemic on their freelance careers. It also supported online Memoir Writing workshops for ‘Open Age’. This directly addressed social isolation and improved wellbeing amongst this vulnerable group. A successful £88,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (2021) allowed the Soho Poly to co-develop an Education Pack on inclusive theatre which rolled out to 200+ London schools. Over 150 local members of our older community also engaged in new creative writing-centred activities. Parallel to this work, the Soho Poly’s restoration project (intended to provide the space with disabled access) fundraised over £100,000 from organisations including Westminster City Council, The John Coates Foundation, Shaftsbury Estates and Garfield Weston.
Academics worked with three local Islamic sites of worship (the Brick Lane, Old Kent Road, and the Harrow Mosques) on a series of site-specific installations supporting the Muslim communities through Covid, after the community asked for help to create an online tour and a live-stream performance of their spaces as original buildings were demolished and there was a need for an interactive, safe virtual prayer space. Pre-recorded films of congregational prayer are set within the context of a collection of stories and personal accounts from the congregation members themselves. The community adds its own content acting as an experiential archive. “Now that the mosque building itself has been pulled down this platform helps maintain a very good virtual connection and maintain a sense of belonging.” (Congregation member)
Architecture and Cities academics and students undertook extensive public engagement activities in London partnering with four local Councils. The Ex-TRA project implemented a range of public engagement activities around sustainable mobility in London. The Active Travel Academy designed programmes around active travel, cargo bikes and low traffic neighbourhoods. A graduate level cross-disciplinary programme, with the Borough of Westminster helped build Inclusive Playgrounds
Design-based community live research projects include: Exhibition Road courtyard of the V&A which served as the centrepiece for community events; a therapeutic horticultural centre; a space for learning for patients from the NHS Social Prescribing programme, and a series of floating reedbeds for Cody Dock, East London.
The Law School's Legal Advice Clinic, provides a ‘valuable advisory service to the local community, helping support them to gain further advice and guidance when dealing with legal problems around family law, housing, immigration and employment’ (stakeholder feedback). This praise accompanied the award of the Social Enterprise Gold Mark. The Social Enterprise Report highlighted our strong stakeholder engagement and detailed the work of our Polyclinic, which provides ‘low-cost access to alternative health treatments’. The University’s Centre for Resilience has provided wellbeing and resilience training for more than 500 workers across London.
Aspect 4: Enhancing practice
Details of additional Resources and Investment to Support PCE
The University invested in an external evaluation of its PCE and KE activities via the NCCPE and an external consultant respectively. The Quintin Hogg Trust’s direct investment into PCE-related activities totals £872,000 within the reporting timeframe.
Details of outcomes and frameworks or KPIs against which we have evaluated ourselves
Via the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) the University conducted an internal review of its performance, systems, and processes. The NCCPE evaluated these using their EDGE tool via interviews, focus groups, reporting, a survey and the submission of evidence. Fifty-eight (58) people participated in this study and a formal report was delivered in 2022. Responses suggested that respondents felt many aspects relating to PCE were either ‘developing’ or ‘gripping’ (so middling). The predominant understanding of PCE methodologies centred around the dissemination and communication of research and teaching outputs, with a lower emphasis on evaluation and improvements through an exchange of knowledge, co-design and evaluation methodologies, using theory of change modelling. The NCCPE recommended that the University consider clarifying the strategic and governance structures which underpin PCE (also see above), improving reward and recognition for PCE activities and investing in and developing strategic relationship management support for significant partners. The recommendations have been taken forward and will inform the development of the University’s new Research and KE Strategy (due summer 2023).
The University participated in the KE Concordat pilot exercise and submitted an Action Plan, which was evaluated, by 5 external, anonymous reviewers. The feedback received via the UUK panel has been used to drive thinking relevant to the support for KE and PCE. This includes how we define PCE and how the University determines and agrees on achievable, realistic targets and (qualitative and quantitative) measures of success to evaluate its PCE performance. The review led to the decision to create a specific strategy for PCE, led by the PVC KE and to develop an approach which includes but is not limited to, implementing PCE with research alongside teaching-led areas of engagement.
The above internal and external evaluations at a University-level were complemented by project-level evaluations which captured evidence of successful outputs and outcomes (see activity section).
Aspect 5: Building on success
Monitoring of PCE Activity and Performance through Governance
The University’s Research and KE steering committee reviews PCE work overseen by the PVCs for Research and KE. During the University’s Planning cycle Colleges and School outline their plans for research and knowledge exchange, which might include PCE activities. These are reviewed by the University Planning processes and reported on or further enhanced via University Executive Board.
Findings of the NCCPE, consultant and KEC reviews, reports and recommendations have been shared with senior leaders on these committees and have underpinned strategic conversations and decisions for action, such as the one to develop a specific PCE strategy that sits alongside the new Research and KE strategy (under development).
Monitoring Success and Progress for PCE
Training and support delivered is monitored through numbers of staff attending training workshops relevant to PCE (ethics, Impact, data management etc.) and number of visits to staff training pages. Similarly Marketing and Communications gathers details on number of mentions of university research, KE and PCE initiatives in the media and public press and monitors these closely to manage queries relating to University PCE activities.
Internally funded researchers and doctoral students undertaking PCE-related activities are asked to complete light-touch reports on the outputs and outcomes of their work which are used to share successes and inform resource and CPD-related support allocations. ResearchFish reports to UKRI and other funders are scrutinised for PCE activities and their outcomes. The RKEO’s Impact and Post-Award Officers are key to this activity, whilst the KE and Collaboration manager oversees HE-BCIS reporting for PCE returns, ensuring the accuracy of the HE-BCIS return.
Where opportunities arise for generating additional PCE or KE activities or where projects require assistance with additional evaluation support, the RKEO offers bespoke help as well. The RKEO share any successes with the Marketing and Communications team so that they can follow-up on these, using stories on the website communicating the details of the University’s work with external stakeholders.
Note You are currently viewing the latest version of this narrative statement. View the previous version as published in previous iterations of the KEF (KEF1 and KEF2)