Current Phase of Work
In 2007 the ISSUES team looked at the knowledge transfer
process from the consortia and researcher perspective. The team is now documenting the alternative
perspective, that of stakeholders and practitioners.
This has been done by categorizing the types of stakeholders
that would be interested in SUE outputs and interviewing representatives of
each of these groups. The broad
categories identified included:
- Users - Clients and Delivery agents
- Influencers/Policy makers
- Recipients and Beneficiaries
- Regulators and Evaluators
- Case-specific stake holders
These groups were further broken down by profession and / or
role. For example, 'Users' includes a
range of both private and Local Authority professionals (architects, engineers,
planners, etc). Representatives of each category were identified and
interviewed either face-to-face or by telephone. A semi-structured interview format
was used to find out the routes through which practitioners and stakeholders commonly
acquire new knowledge.To read a copy of the stakeholder questions click here.
Information from these interviews will be used to determine
what sort of support and activities would help improve SUE dissemination in the
future. In addition the team is mapping the knowledge transfer networks and
communities relevant to urban sustainability that already exist in the UK. It is also conducting market research into
the types of end-user groups who would be interested in SUE outputs and how
these groups might be reached.
The ISSUES team has also hosted a number of facilitative events through 2008. These have included:
- The Ebbsfleet Valley Challenge event, which brought together SUE researchers and end users to facilitate knowledge transfer around a live development site in the Thames Gateway development area.
- The ISSUES 2 ISSUES event, a transdisciplinary seminar on Sustaining Urban Ecosystem Services organised in partnership with the ISSUES project being conducted by the universities of Abertay Dundee and Middlesex.
- The 'Engaging Stakeholders and Disseminating Results' event in November 2008 which brought SUE researchers from different consortia together to discuss best practice in dissemination..
|
