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The project led to improved public access to partner collections via a major website, informed the design of the £10m HLF-funded Birmingham History Galleries of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (including innovative multi-touch software), and firmly embedded a culture of cross-sector collaboration with impact in Birmingham, the Midlands, and beyond.
The Beyond the Book project has had impact upon the personal and professional development of practitioners, especially public librarians, but also book event organizers, and publishing professionals. The project has achieved this impact by identifying the pleasures that readers derive from shared reading, the limitations of large-scale reading events for producing social change, and by situating the organization of such events within an international context. The project has also had an impact on graduate students in several nation-states through the generation of new methods for studying contemporary readers and reading practices.
Pioneering basic research into the role of oxygen free- radical damage and antioxidant micro-nutrient protection in human periodontal diseases by the Periodontal Research Group in Birmingham has led to the development and marketing of novel toothpaste formulations and new applications for other nutrient products in collaboration with global consumer healthcare companies. This work has changed thinking in the field and has had significant commercial impact in terms of changing business R&D and marketing strategies. Resultant technologies have demonstrated reductions in gingivitis and periodontitis with associated social, economic and health impacts. In addition, our research is enabling Triclosan, an antibacterial compound used widely in soaps, detergents, mouthwashes and toothpastes, to be replaced with more environmentally-friendly, natural and equally efficacious agents.
Professor Enonchong's research has had a direct and significant effect on the development of the law relating to economic duress in Singapore and the Commonwealth. Prior to the relevant impact, the law relating to lawful act duress was in a state of flux. The High Court of Singapore relied directly and exclusively on Enonchong's research to extend the scope of duress in a completely novel way, so as to encompass a threat to do an act that is lawful. The beneficiaries of the impact are all those (such as courts, arbitral tribunals, lawyers and their clients) who rely on the law of Singapore, which is influential throughout the Commonwealth, particularly as currently there is no decision on the point in other Commonwealth jurisdictions.
Our biomarker research and underpinning technologies have commercially impacted upon the global R&D strategies of Unilever, Philips and Mars, realising new market areas for them, resulting in several million GBP invested in related R&D as well as "claim support" for products both in development and already available on shelves. Unilever have adopted biomarker outcomes as endpoints in clinical trials of new products, and Philips and Mars are developing with us saliva-based near-patient diagnostic tests for the human and small animal markets. We have also spun out two SME's: A) Oral Health Innovations (OHI) Ltd has developed online risk and disease analysis software for oral conditions, which was piloted, adopted and launched by Denplan, the UKs largest dental capitation plan operator (accessing 6500 dentists and 1.8 million patients), at the 2013 annual British Dental Association conference; and B) GFC Diagnostics makes SmokeScreen™ a non-invasive, sensitive and objective saliva test developed from our biomarker research at Birmingham University. Both technologies have already provided demonstrable social and commercial impact and given their uptake to date, will also deliver economic, environmental and health impacts.
Jackson has provided professional enhancement for directors and actors by bringing his research-led insight into the texts and acting traditions of Shakespearean theatre to bear on the preparation of scripts for performances. He has achieved this through collaboration during rehearsals, working at a detailed level of interpretation and performance. His research has also enhanced cultural enrichment for audiences through such forms of public engagement as essays in theatre programmes.
Severe Limb Ischaemia (SLI), in which there is reduced blood flow to the leg(s), is the commonest cause worldwide of gangrene and limb loss. The BASIL trial, led by Professor Andrew Bradbury at the University of Birmingham, was the first (and remains the only) randomised controlled trial to investigate whether surgical bypass or endovascular (`keyhole') treatment is best at relieving symptoms and preventing amputation and/or death in patients with SLI. The outcomes of the study have been of worldwide interest, and the recommendations put forward by the team have been endorsed by a number of high profile clinical organisations. These findings are also nowincorporated within a series of national and international guidelines on SLI.
Although individually infrequent, rare diseases collectively are a major health burden, particularly for individuals who suffer with conditions that are not routinely diagnosed or have no effective care pathways. Through the work of Professor Tim Barrett, the University of Birmingham is internationally recognised for translational research in rare inherited diabetes and obesity syndromes. This has had major impacts on patient care through gene identification for devastating multi-system syndromes; development of a unique international diagnostic testing service combining molecular testing with international clinical expertise; European reference centre status for three NHS highly specialised multidisciplinary services; and leadership of the European Registry for rare diabetes syndromes. Our national and international leadership for these previously poorly-served conditions has enabled sharing of best clinical practice, including development of clinics for Wolfram syndrome across the world.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the commonest heart rhythm abnormality, affecting around 8.8 million people in the European Union, and confers a substantial risk of stroke and death. It accounts for one third of hospital admissions for cardiac rhythm disturbances, and the rate of AF-related admissions has continued to rise in recent years. The work of Prof Gregory Lip and Dr Deirdre Lane has made Birmingham an internationally-respected centre of excellence for research in AF, delivering crucial impacts in international clinical practice guidelines and improvements in patient care within three main areas: treatment decisions related to stroke and bleeding risk, screening practice in primary care, and stroke and bleeding risk assessment, ultimately reducing morbidity and mortality for a significant proportion of the population, particularly among the elderly.
The research has had a demonstrable impact in Italy, in the UK, and elsewhere, in the areas of Civil Society, Public discourse, and Cultural Life. Specifically, it has a) supported LGBTQ community initiatives; b) helped LGBTQ individuals to meet societal challenges and thereby improved their well-being; c) increased public awareness and understanding of human rights infringements experienced by LGBTQ individuals in Italy; d) generated publications and debates on the incorporation of the term `queer' in Italian discourses; e) directly influenced the writing practice of a contemporary Italian novelist and indirectly her readership. Beneficiaries: individuals and groups studied in the ethnographic research; LGBTQ populations in Italy and elsewhere, and sections of the public concerned with the politics of sexuality and gender.