issues - new work over 2009

The ISSUES team is planning on carrying out a few new tasks over 2009 in line with the project's three tier strategy to reach end-users, SUE researchers and funding institutions. These include:

 

Understanding the usefulness of SUE outputs to end-users (2009)

ISSUES will do an evaluation as requested by DISTILLATE to get feedback from Local Authorities about how accessible and how useful they have found the DISTILLATE outputs. Initial results will be used by DISTILLATE to alter aspects of their tool kits according to the feedback gained (they have funds from DfT for this that must be used by March 09) Results will also be used to understand how to reach end-user audiences more effectively, and what sort of information is useful to them.

 

Defining the Role of Intermediary Bodies (2009)

ISSUES will interview a range of expert technical advisors to the Government’s ￡45 billion ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme to investigate how sustainability is interpreted and incorporated within such a programme, and how far research has an influence on actual building projects. Data will be drawn from interviews with both the policy makers and the clients, from organisations such as CABE, PfS (Partnerships for Schools), the SDC (Sustainable Development Commission) and BRE, all of whom have taken an overview of BSF across the country. This work should throw light on how research programmes might be structured in future so that expert advisors know about the work and want to use the findings.

 

Types of Engagement - qualitative case studies (2009)

The ISSUES Team is also putting together case studies looking at the use of SUE outputs by project partners, and how the interaction between researchers and partners enabled research to be put into use. These case studies will be put into a short form suitable for distribution to SUE researchers and wider audiences. As part of this work ISSUES Researcher Di Hinds has written an article available here.