Posted on behalf of the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement

Today we are pleased to publish a short report, ‘Achieving equity in place-based research, innovation and public engagement’. Commissioned by UKRI, the report shares the finding of a rapid review we conducted earlier this year into how university research, innovation and engagement might be better aligned to the needs of areas of the UK experiencing disadvantage. The review explored:

• The state of the art in current thinking and sense making about places experiencing disadvantage, sometimes framed as ‘left-behind places’
• The key interventions being made, and by whom
• How HEIs / researchers might contribute to the needs of these places and support partners working there
• Potential partners or initiatives that research funders and HEIs may wish to work with in this area

We are publishing this today as the findings will be of interest to HEIs and partners looking to develop bids to UKRI’s new call, ‘Enhancing Place-Based Partnerships in Public Engagement’, which closes on 21 October 2019. (Note for UoM bids there is an internal submission process to follow – deadline 30 September. See here.)

The first section of the report explores the policy landscape, and summarises ‘state of the art’ considerations about place, inequality and the role of research and innovation viewed through these lenses.

The second section explores the practice landscape and summarises key approaches and types of intervention being deployed to address poverty and inequality. It identifies lessons learned about ‘what works’ and widely agreed good practice principles.

The final section explores lessons learned about how to fund place-based working. It identifies a series of critical choices and decisions which need to be considered in investing wisely in this kind of work.