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This case study presents a dynamic development framework route-map (the Precinct Planning Design Standard, PPDS) that enhances sustainability and the delivery of a development's goals, aims, and objectives for medium-large mixed-use precinct developments and tourist resorts in developing countries. The standard shortens pre-planning timescales, achieves greater certainty in actual performance delivery and reduces environmental impact for developers, developments, and their infrastructure.
Through Earthcheck Pty PPDS is now commercially available and has been used to benchmark and certify ecological performance improvements of 30 Asia Pacific projects (US$ 25 billion development value). These range from 8,000 person community projects to medium sized tourism resorts and island developments. Our research has challenged existing standards and consequently influenced practitioners to rethink and improve the efficacy of their development processes.
As a result of her outstanding research in Roman history and archaeology, Beard was invited to work with a TV production company to develop two programmes for BBC2. The first was a one-off programme specifically linked to her book Pompeii (2008), the second a series (Meet the Romans, 2011) related to her research on Pompeii and to her research on Roman social history and inscriptions. Recognised as landmark broadcasts (Pompeii gained 3.4 million viewers, the largest audience for a factual BBC2 programme in 2010, and was shortlisted for a BAFTA), both have led to widespread public engagement and (with major overseas sales) to considerable economic and cultural benefit to the UK.
The decision about whether to fund new health care interventions is increasingly being informed by evidence of cost-effectiveness in terms of the cost per Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY). The SF-6D health index is widely used internationally for calculating QALYs from patient reported health outcomes collected in clinical trials and other surveys. It contributes to health system efficiency from being used by health technology agencies around the world (including Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland and Norway) to calculate QALYs to facilitate decisions about the most efficient use of limited health care resources. The SF-6D is freely available to non-commercial bodies, including researchers and policy makers. Commercial benefits come from the licensing of the measure to pharmaceutical companies, health insurers and others to assess the cost-effectiveness of their products with 460 licenses being sold since 2008. A further 521 licenses are distributed on a non-commercial basis to academic researchers, public sector and charitable organisations.
Measurement of hormones is essential to the understanding and diagnosis of endocrine diseases. White and her research group have developed unique antibodies that are widely used in diagnostic assays for adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and related peptides, including the first and only kit for measuring pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), the precursor of ACTH. These assays are used worldwide for diagnosis, decisions on treatment, monitoring for recurrence of tumours and prognosis in a number of patient groups with life-threatening endocrine disorders. Global sales of the ACTH Elecsys tests by Roche exceeded 6 million kits since 2008. AstraZeneca has used the POMC and ACTH assays in its drug discovery programmes in the cardiovascular and metabolic diseases therapy area. The antibodies therefore have had health impact in relieving suffering and in improving patient care, as well as commercial impact in worldwide sales of assays and influencing drug development strategies.
Research and knowledge dissemination led by Greenwich on biological pesticides has made a major contribution to the introduction of novel safe commercial pesticides based on insect viruses to help farmers overcome the problems of chemical resistance in major crop pests in Asia and Africa. Research at Greenwich identified effective virus strains, methods of production and formulation which were then developed and evaluated with in country research collaborators before being transferred to local SMEs to start up production in India, Thailand, Kenya and Tanzania. Greenwich advised governments on adopting suitable regulation to support the registration and sale of these novel pesticides.
Developing renewable sources of energy has to go hand in hand with reducing energy demand through increased energy awareness and behavioural change. To this end a multidisciplinary consortium of researchers, led by Professor Christopher Howe (Biochemistry), have developed several biophotovoltaic (BPV) devices for off-grid electricity generation, and as educational tools. This has resulted in impact on commerce (i.e. the acquisition of a BPV spinout company by Ortus Energy Ltd in 2009 through share exchange), on society and culture (an award-winning `Moss Table' developed by the consortium, which incorporates BPV technology, has been exhibited internationally since 2011 and has received extensive international media coverage) and on educational practices (a prototype BPV educational tool for schools has been developed by Howe and colleagues in 2013 and trialled with 6th form students).
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.
Rosengarten's work during the past fourteen years has provided the HIV field with new ways of rethinking otherwise seemingly intractable problems of more effective prevention. Despite over 30 years of biomedical and social research, and policy and programme implementation, the HIV epidemic continues to grow. The efficacies of repurposing potentially toxic and partially effective antiretroviral drugs for prevention in those perceived at risk of infection has thus come under scrutiny. It is in this context that Rosengarten's work has intervened and introduced an alternative approach to prevention that directly scrutinises the social contexts in which people live and work with HIV. Through this approach and her active engagement with clinicians, policy makers, scientists and advocacy groups she has contributed critical insights that have been incorporated into approaches to HIV prevention in practice.
Spatial models developed from research in the School of Geography about population movements in cities are informing commercial planning and public policy analysis. The conduit for this impact is GMAP Ltd., a spin-out company established by the University of Leeds, which has used the models as the basis for its MicroVision and RetailVision software. Companies including Ford, Exxon, HBoS and Asda-Walmart have used this software for a range of purposes including maximizing individual stores' profitability and reconfiguring entire networks to fit changing market conditions. Government agencies have also used the software to optimize resource allocation in policing, education and healthcare.
This longstanding research and development programme on teaching and learning conceptual scientific content has resulted in beneficial impacts on the day-to-day teaching practices of secondary school science teachers within and beyond the UK. The programme has resulted in three broad areas of impact: