Designing options for supporting Place-based Policy Impact
This project, led by City-REDI in collaboration with the NCCPE, builds on UKRI-funded initiatives to explore how universities can enhance their civic impact, aiming to develop internal capacity at the University of Birmingham to strengthen its local, regional, and national engagement.
Background
City-REDI is engaged in several UKRI-funded initiatives aimed at understanding how universities can enhance place-based civic impact: the Local Policy Innovation Partnership Strategic Coordination Hub (LPIP Hub), the National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA), and the University Policy Engagement Network (UPEN). These explore ways for universities to strengthen their anchor institution role. This QR project will leverage this broader learning to benefit University of Birmingham by developing options for building internal skills/capacity/expertise across academic and professional services staff, enabling greater local/regional/national impact. The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) will partner.
Timescales: 01/01/2025 to 30/06/2025
The Objectives
The Objectives
Key Objectives:
- Assess Internal Needs: Identify gaps in policy engagement and development within existing approaches for both academic and professional services staff.
- Design Targeted Options: Create a customised framework with strategic alignment, meeting UoB's objectives for regional engagement and civic agreements. Each option will include a delivery plan, impact measures, monitoring and evaluation framework, cost management, and projected regional or national impact.
- Align with Strategic Goals: Ensure alignment with UoB’s broader strategic goals, including improving Impact Assessment findings, fulfilling the regional engagement agenda, enabling staff to influence and respond to regional and national research priorities, and achieving top 50 status.
- Provide a Sustainable Solution: Develop an enduring framework for future capacity building, justifying expenditure and exploring potential future funding opportunities.
The Team
The Team
Paula Black: Paula is the strategic associate at NCCPE. Working in engagement – Paula works with Local Authorities, universities and third sector organisations to design and implement effective, high-quality public engagement.
In Impact – she works with universities around civic mission, research culture, engagement and research impact.
and coaching - Paula works with university staff to achieve impact from their research and develop their careers in HE and beyond. She coaches those working in the third sector and local authorities, also works with activists and those working for social justice.
Dr Tom Burton: Tom joined City-REDI in December 2024 to lead the Institute’s public sector business case work. He was previously in the housing and regeneration policy team at West Midlands Combined Authority.
Tom has worked in local and regional economic development since 2016, initially in research and analysis roles and later as an advisor and programme manager. He is a specialist in appraising public spending proposals through business case development and social cost-benefit analysis. His work supports informed policy decisions.
Ellie MacDonald: Ellie joined City-REDI in January 2022 as a digital marketing apprentice and has gone on to become a Digital Marketing and Communications Assistant. She also has an undergraduate degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Salford.
Yaneth Lavelle: Yaneth joined City-REDI in November 2024 and has significant work experience in the higher education sector and supporting research. She has completed 2 undergraduate degrees simultaneously in Law, Political Sciences and Communications.
Project lead contact details:
Elizabeth Goodyear, Programme manager
Project Support contact details:
Yaneth Lavelle, Project Officer