Submitting Institution: Birmingham City University

REF impact found 25 Case Studies

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Academic, educational and commercial benefits of effective textual search and annotation

Summary of the impact

Based in the School of English, the Research and Development Unit for English Studies (RDUES) conducts research in the field of corpus linguistics and develops innovative software tools to allow a wide range of external audiences to locate, annotate and use electronic data more effectively. This case study details work carried out by the RDUES team (Matt Gee, Andrew Kehoe, Antoinette Renouf) in building large-scale corpora of web texts, from which examples of language use have been extracted, analysed, and presented in a form suitable for teaching and research across and beyond HE, including collaboration with commercial partners.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

English Language and Literature

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Information and Computing Sciences: Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Cognitive Sciences
Language, Communication and Culture: Linguistics

Bringing new insights to the construction industry through the philosophy of expertise

Summary of the impact

Professor Mark Addis of the School of English undertook pioneering collaborative interdisciplinary work with David Boyd (Professor of Construction at Birmingham City University) to engage with an area of business where the humanities are not usually valued. The philosophy of expertise assisted three major construction companies, Mouchel, Rider Levett Bucknall and Thomas Vale Construction, to better understand their practices. These new perspectives into construction management challenged existing practices and stimulated practitioner debate in the industry. The impacts were for individuals, who made more effective interventions in their practice especially in terms of skill development and project organisation; company groups, who gained insights which developed their practice; and the wider industry through presentations to leading national construction representative organisations.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

English Language and Literature

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Built Environment and Design: Building
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Business and Management

Craft informed 3D printing and digital reconstruction of precious objects changing museum and heritage sector practice

Summary of the impact

Research by the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (JIIC) has been influential in taking curation beyond normal museum practice. The work has led to the development of novel applications of digital scanning, CAD processes and rapid prototyping. These have enabled the creation of detailed replicas of damaged and deformed precious and fragile objects of cultural heritage. Coupled with the craft design expertise of the researchers these processes have shed new light on the techniques used to produce the original pieces. The handleable replicas that these processes generate are transforming the way museum curators are balancing the competing demands of preservation, restoration and interpretation of objects with those of public access to them. JIIC has assisted museum and heritage professionals at several venues with these transformative approaches, e.g. Black Country Living Museum, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (BMAG), the Museum of London and National Museums Liverpool.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Information and Computing Sciences: Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing
Engineering: Manufacturing Engineering
Built Environment and Design: Design Practice and Management

Fusing Spatial Planning with the Ecosystem Approach: Providing Operational Tools for Improved Decision Making across Built and Natural Environments

Summary of the impact

This case study is built upon the successful fusion of Spatial Planning with the Ecosystem Approach, translating complex theory into operational outputs for public and stakeholder engagement, which improve policy processes and outcomes across built and natural environments and fringe interfaces. `RUFopoly' and `EATME tree' are co-produced outputs, maximising engagement in learning spaces within game and web-portal formats respectively. For example, the Welsh Government has used both tools to design emerging policy frameworks (testimonial1). The novel research model employed builds research teams that integrate academic, policy and practice participants within a collective journey of (re)-discovery maximising reflective practice and social learning.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Studies In Human Society: Human Geography, Policy and Administration

Generating applied insights into criminal justice through HMP Grendon

Summary of the impact

The case study refers to research conducted by the Centre for Applied Criminology (CAC), which has focused on HMP Grendon. This document evidences the following impacts:

* Effects on and changes and benefits to policy and practice within and beyond HMP Grendon.

* Reduction or prevention of harm / negative effects upon staff and prisoners at HMP Grendon.

* Effects on awareness and understanding of needs specific groups of prisoners at HMP Grendon.

* Changes and benefits to opportunities available for HMP Grendon prisoners and applicants.

* Benefits in terms of awareness of penal issues amongst audiences of specific media.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Social Work and Social Policy

Summary Impact Type

Legal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Criminology, Social Work

Human Rights and the Law of Succession in Jersey

Summary of the impact

Under Jersey law, the right to inherit property has historically been affected by factors such as the legitimacy of a child and the gender of a spouse. This research, which was commissioned by the Jersey Community Relations Trust, concluded that aspects of the law were discriminatory and did not comply with human rights legislation. As a direct result of the research the law was amended so that illegitimate children were given the same fixed rights of inheritance as legitimate ones, and the fixed rights of inheritance of a widow and widower are now unified.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Law

Summary Impact Type

Legal

Research Subject Area(s)

Law and Legal Studies: Law

Improving strategic design management competence in small and medium sized companies through action and case-study research

Summary of the impact

Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD) has researched the extent and effectiveness of design management in companies for over 15 years. The research has combined an academic analysis with a practice based approach where findings have been implemented through a succession of industry-facing, large-scale, externally funded projects.

Through this sustained activity, design tools, methods and support strategies have been developed, delivered, tested and disseminated internationally. Additionally, the experiences are fed back into the continuing research that underpins the practical activity.

Since 2008, BIAD's business-facing projects have:

  • assisted over 300 companies (compared with 70+ in 2003-2008);
  • established 21 new businesses;
  • built a network of 400 companies;
  • secured over £3m of grant funding; and
  • been instrumental in shifting company culture from cost-driven to value-added.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory

Summary Impact Type

Economic

Research Subject Area(s)

Information and Computing Sciences: Information Systems
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Business and Management
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

Influence of death penalty research: regional and municipal policies towards the death penalty.

Summary of the impact

This case study describes the impact of the work conducted by the Centre for American Legal Studies (CALS) relating to capital punishment and the death penalty. The impacts which will be identified, explained and evidenced in this document are as follows:

  • Effects upon awareness and understanding of issues relating to the death penalty amongst key stakeholders in the national and international legal and political communities.
  • Changes to policy and practice at the regional level of the European Union, and in the domestic jurisdiction of the United States, and the strategic approaches of the British government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
  • Effects on the understanding and awareness of national and international policymakers regarding their knowledge of international issues relating to capital punishment and the death penalty.
  • Reduction or prevention of negative effects upon young people convicted of a subgroup of criminal offences in the United States.
  • Benefits to activities, processes and understandings of legal organisations in the United States.
  • Benefits to the performance and practice of UK lawyers applying their skills to US cases.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Law

Summary Impact Type

Legal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration
Law and Legal Studies: Law
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

Integrating Domain Based Engineering Knowledge in Computational Models to Enhance Design Processes for Engineering Jet Engines at Rolls-Royce

Summary of the impact

Research led by Professor Chapman at the Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) lab has resulted in a thriving partnership with the aerospace division of Rolls-Royce. KBE research captures domain-based knowledge and integrates it into refined computational models with automated tools to enhance design processes for engineering complex systems. This research has contributed to important improvements in the design processes used by Rolls-Royce to achieve substantial benefits in terms of accuracy, efficiency and ease of design and innovation in the development of jet engines. The techniques have also been exploited to enhance decision support processes for sustainable energy.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Computer Science and Informatics

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Information and Computing Sciences: Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing, Computer Software, Information Systems

Mental health: solutions to complex care needs

Summary of the impact

The Centre For Community Mental Health (CCMH) is a research team within the Centre for Health and Social Care (CHSCR). CCMH develops and supports research that reduces stigma and social exclusion and which empowers people with mental health problems to lead fulfilling lives in their own communities. The impact of this research has challenged prevailing beliefs and practices and led directly to changes in practice, organisational processes and service design across the world.

Our studies of voice hearing, in adults and children, have shown that it may not always be associated with mental illness and that cognitive behavioural therapy is effective for many people. Our work has led to the development of the Hearing Voices Movement and the International Hearing Voices Network, which now spans 22 countries and which enables people who hear voices to find bespoke solutions and lead normal lives.

The impact of our work on community-based approaches to the management of acute and long term mental ill health led, first, to the development of assertive outreach and crisis resolution teams that reduced hospital admissions by treating people at home; second, our work has led directly to service redesign in many different countries.

Our studies of special and underserved social groups in relation to mental ill health have demonstrated the multiple barriers to services that many people experience. The impact of these studies has included changes in organisational practices to promote greater engagement with service users.

Submitting Institution

Birmingham City University

Unit of Assessment

Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

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