Facilitating research impact
Through Research England's Quality-related Research (QR) funding, we are enhancing engagement and research impact in research cultures across the University. See examples below for a snapshot of researchers and research-related staff's work.
Creating a culture for impactful research
The Culture of Impact and Engagement (Arts and Law) project has improved skills, fostered network building and created a more stable support structure for impactful research in the University’s College of Arts and Law.
Over 50 researchers and research-related staff participated and they are now better equipped to identify, generate, and maximise impact and engagement opportunities. Researchers are more confident in their ability to do impactful research, with many championing impact within their own departments – and they have also developed closer relationships with external partners across various sectors.
The project will live on through new networks and relationships, and guidance to support developing and funding impact, evidencing, and co-production within the College in a resource hub to embed a culture of impact and engagement into their ways of working.
My involvement in the Culture of Impact and Engagement project has made an enormous difference to the way I think about my research. I now find that impact is something I consider completely central to my research identity, and one of the areas of my work I am most excited about. It was one of the most transformative training/mentor opportunities I’ve had at the University.
Piloting an artist residency to enrich research culture
Sounding Change, a pilot artist residency programme set-up to foster collaboration between artists and the University’s Department of Music, has enriched the department with new perspectives and increased the diversity in artistic output.
Annie Mahtani, Professor of Electroacoustic Composition and Practice, led the programme. Over 10 months Azizi Cole, Mwen and Bullyache hosted workshops, engaged with researchers and involved undergraduate and postgraduate students in their residency projects. The artists were supported to take creative risks, develop their practice, and create new work. Each artist produced a public performance, showcasing their development and the impact of their residency.
The presence of professional artists has enriched the research environment, fostering new practices and approaches among academic staff and students. For Annie and other colleagues in the Department of Music, Sounding Change provided insights into running artist residencies and adapting university resources to support non-academic artists.
The team worked with external evaluators to develop a Theory of Change to assess the project's impact and guide future iterations.
Platforming creative collaboration with the city
Through The Exchange Community Gallery Project, the South Entrance of our space in the city has become a dynamic exhibition space, creating new opportunities for connection and collaboration between University of Birmingham academics, our communities and third-sector organisations.
Tailoring careers advice for postgraduate researchers
In alignment with the University's Employability Strategy, the PGR External Engagement Project increased opportunities for postgraduate researchers to engage with employers and external partners for their career development, creating new opportunities for mentoring and opportunities to shape careers-related activities bespoke to postgraduate researchers. in alignment with the University's Employability Strategy.
QR funding enabled us to extend existing Careers Network opportunities to postgraduate researchers for the very first time, and gave us the evidence needed to secure two full-time roles focusing exclusively on Postgraduate External Engagement.