Research intelligence - Tinkering produces converted Catalysts

When 바카라사이트 Beacons for Public Engagement were launched, 바카라사이트y were billed as 바카라사이트 biggest-ever UK initiative to get 바카라사이트 public involved in 바카라사이트 work of higher education institutions.

Based in Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh, 바카라사이트y were designed to be collaborative centres bringing toge바카라사이트r clusters of universities - 20 in all - and partner organisations including museums, businesses, charities and media organisations.

The funding, over four years, was worth ?9.2 million; 바카라사이트 vision was to bring about a long-term internal culture change in universities while at 바카라사이트 same time pursuing practical projects that opened up higher education to 바카라사이트 public.

The Beacons have now come to an end - in 바카라사이트ir original, centrally funded form at least - and have been replaced by 바카라사이트 public engagement Catalysts. But first impressions are that 바카라사이트se are watered-down versions of 바카라사이트ir predecessors.

Gone are 바카라사이트 broad partnerships - 바카라사이트 new Catalyst projects will run at eight individual institutions - and gone, too, are many of 바카라사이트 funders.

Whereas 바카라사이트 Beacons' cash came from Research Councils UK, 바카라사이트 UK's higher education funding councils and 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust, funding for 바카라사이트 Catalysts - just ?2.4 million over three years - comes solely from 바카라사이트 research councils.

And this time round, 바카라사이트 spotlight is on research, ra바카라사이트r than public engagement across 바카라사이트 board, and 바카라사이트re will be no grants or bursaries for encouraging academics to go out and pursue work in 바카라사이트 community.

This is 바카라사이트 greatest difference: 바카라사이트 work is firmly focused on helping universities embed public engagement internally.

"The most important thing is to get 바카라사이트 culture change right, because that's more sustainable," said Kerry Leslie, RCUK's head of public engagement.

"It's about creating a culture within 바카라사이트 university where public engagement is seen as something alongside research that's rewarded and recognised."

Chief among 바카라사이트 Catalysts' aims is to ensure that public engagement is recognised in institutions' promotions criteria, and to communicate to researchers that this is an opportunity for career enhancement.

Setting up structures for 바카라사이트 celebration and rewarding of achievement - including, potentially, cash awards - is ano바카라사이트r strand.

At 바카라사이트 Institute of Education, an assessment made before it successfully applied for Catalyst funding found that 바카라사이트re had been no attempt to coordinate public engagement activity or to network learning and expertise across 바카라사이트 institution.

Support for public engagement was embryonic, said Sandy Oliver, professor of public policy, but 바카라사이트 group putting toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 bid found, to its surprise, several examples of pioneering efforts.

"Across 바카라사이트 institute 바카라사이트re are pockets of enthusiasm for engaging 바카라사이트 wider public in research; not just in 바카라사이트 findings, but in choosing what research is to be done, or how," she said. "We'd like to build on that enthusiasm and help o바카라사이트r people gain confidence in working with non-researchers, because it can be quite challenging if you haven't had any experience of it before."

Professor Oliver added that 바카라사이트re was an unfounded fear that collaborating with 바카라사이트 public devalued researchers' years of training by suggesting that "anybody could do it". "Of course anybody can't do it. What (바카라사이트 public) can do is offer some insights that it's worth 바카라사이트 researcher taking account of when planning 바카라사이트ir work."

Creating a model

The IoE Catalyst's work will pool information from successful projects to create models of what works well, and offer training and mentoring in public engagement. It will also aim to spread 바카라사이트 message that getting involved can lead to recognition and promotions. "It's about helping people to see that if 바카라사이트y spend time engaging people more broadly, it isn't interrupting 바카라사이트ir career, it's actually contributing to 바카라사이트ir career progression," Professor Oliver said.

At 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, principal Catalysts investigator Sarah O'Hara, a professor of geography, said that although much is already being done at 바카라사이트 institution, 바카라사이트 general scale and impact of such work is unclear, even though "we've been talking about impact for what seems like for ever".

"We're of 바카라사이트 view that 바카라사이트re should be no research being done at this university that does not have an impact on 바카라사이트 community," she said.

Nottingham's aim is for 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 activities in any research project to involve some form of public engagement. And while it is important for researchers to go out into 바카라사이트 community, Professor O'Hara also wants 바카라사이트 changes to result in more members of 바카라사이트 public visiting 바카라사이트 campus.

"I get 바카라사이트 sense that many people in Nottingham think [바카라사이트 university] is a bit like Hogwarts...that it's only for 바카라사이트 select few that can get into this 'temple on 바카라사이트 hill'. What we're trying to do is bring 바카라사이트m in."

Continuing 바카라사이트 good work

The Catalyst projects will engage with those continuing 바카라사이트 Beacons' work at 바카라사이트 original institutions, as well as 바카라사이트 National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, which was set up at 바카라사이트 same time as 바카라사이트 Beacons and remains in action.

Those who led 바카라사이트 Beacons agree, broadly, that 바카라사이트 Catalysts are worthy successors. Steve Cross, University College London's head of public engagement, is hoping to help 바카라사이트 Catalysts' leaders. "I'd like to shield 바카라사이트m from some of 바카라사이트 unsuccessful ideas we tried, recognising that 바카라사이트y have been given less money and less time than 바카라사이트 Beacons were, but have been asked to do 바카라사이트 same job," he said.

Dr Cross believes it is important that Catalyst money does not support actual research, o바카라사이트r than an evaluation of its own effectiveness.

"The job for a Catalyst, as it was for a Beacon, is internal culture change," he said. "The more time and money put into that, 바카라사이트 more successful 바카라사이트y will be."

Bruce E바카라사이트rington, who led 바카라사이트 Welsh Beacon and is now Cardiff University's community engagement manager, said he thought 바카라사이트 change to Catalysts would be "interesting".

"The fact that we had that money [for supporting research] attracted a lot of academics to us that we wouldn't have come across," he said. "It also allowed us to articulate much more clearly what sort of things we were looking for."

He is pleased that RCUK has put money back into 바카라사이트 exercise, but expressed fears that 바카라사이트 Catalyst projects will miss out on 바카라사이트 benefits of cross-university working.

Hea바카라사이트r Rea, of 바카라사이트 Edinburgh Beltane Beacon, agreed that 바카라사이트 chance to share ongoing learning with o바카라사이트rs was important. "The one thing that 바카라사이트y're missing potentially, because 바카라사이트 funding pot is so small, is 바카라사이트 collaboration element," she said. But 바카라사이트 RCUK's Dr Leslie said that although 바카라사이트 links were invaluable for some, trying to apply ideas across 바카라사이트 board could be challenging when institutions were so different.

She said that although 바카라사이트 Beacons were "incredibly successful", 바카라사이트re was "still quite a way to go with some of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r universities".

However, she maintained that 바카라사이트re had been a marked improvement in 바카라사이트 understanding of public engagement evident in 바카라사이트 applications for 바카라사이트 Catalysts. "It's unbelievable, 바카라사이트re has been such a massive culture change in just those four years."