Impact UK Location: Swindon

REF impact found 14 Case Studies

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Congregational Hermeneutics and h+ Making Good Sense of the Bible

Summary of the impact

This case study details the impact of theological ethnographic research on the biblical hermeneutics of two contrasting congregations, which was subsequently developed to identify the importance of hermeneutical virtues for Bible reading. Conceptualising biblical hermeneutics in this innovative way has allowed it to be more easily integrated into notions of discipleship and Christian education. Through liaising with Bible Society, a biblical hermeneutics course for Christian communities (h+) was developed in parallel with the second phase of research. The impact of the research through the h+ vehicle has been of significant spiritual, cultural and educational benefit, reaching across Christian denominations, parachurch agencies, congregations, facilitators, participants, and the communities that they serve.

Submitting Institution

Roehampton University

Unit of Assessment

Theology and Religious Studies

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration, Sociology
Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies

Maximising independent living for the UK’s rapidly ageing population.

Summary of the impact

A key challenge for UK Government is to identify how older generations can continue to live independently in their own homes. The UK's changing demographics, recent increases in the cost of institutional care coupled with its declining availability make this a priority for policy makers. A twelve stage research programme undertaken by Professor Tinker has investigated how improved home care and assistive technologies including aids and adaptations could be employed to enable older people to remain at home longer. It examined and costed these options and provided recommendations on how they, and other specialised housing types such as sheltered housing, could be provided. Central government, local authorities and housing associations have employed her findings in revising their approaches to housing support for this rapidly growing population. Her findings have recently been employed by governments in Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia and the Far East in their reappraisals of policy on assisted living in later life.

Submitting Institution

King's College London

Unit of Assessment

Sociology

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

Reconfiguring policy scenarios in transport

Summary of the impact

Research at Oxford in the Transport Studies Unit (TSU) has enabled cities and governments (regional and local) in the UK and internationally to adjust their transport policies over the longer term (to 2050) towards low carbon alternatives. Its impact has been to reconfigure decision makers' thinking on transport policies from trend-based projective studies for transport policy options, towards trend breaking `backcasting' studies for sustainable transport policy futures. Several national and international agencies have used both the backcasting approach, and also two simulation models developed as part of the research.

Submitting Institution

University of Oxford

Unit of Assessment

Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Built Environment and Design: Urban and Regional Planning
Economics: Applied Economics
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

Bio-based Materials in Construction: development and impact of prototype test buildings BaleHaus and HemPod

Summary of the impact

Over the past 13 years the University of Bath has been leading research into low-impact bio-based construction materials, including the construction and testing of two full-scale prototype buildings: BaleHaus (2009) and HemPod (2010) built on campus. The research has directly promoted: the development and wider market acceptance of award winning low carbon construction products (ModCell® and Hemcrete®); successful delivery of award winning buildings; and the wider sector uptake of these technologies, including in a new school building in Bath. The work has directly benefited industry partners working to meet UK Government policy requirements to deliver low carbon infrastructure and benefited society through the delivery of affordable sustainable buildings.

Submitting Institution

University of Bath

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Technological

Research Subject Area(s)

Engineering: Civil Engineering
Built Environment and Design: Engineering Design, Other Built Environment and Design

Design governance in the built environment: Facilitating the use of design codes

Summary of the impact

Work by Carmona et al has supported the national drive for better design in the built environment, helping to mainstream ideas about the importance of urban design and develop tools for design governance. A major strand of this research has focused on the use and potential of design codes in England, and has been a major contributor to their widespread adoption. As a result, by 2012, some 45% of local authorities and 66% of urban design consultants had used design codes.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

Supporting policy-making on sustainable urban transport

Summary of the impact

Research on sustainable transport conducted by Hickman et al at UCL has contributed significantly to a major shift in UK and international transport policy during the last decade. Whereas such policy previously included little, if any, consideration of climate change, the desire to reduce transport CO2 emissions is now often its primary objective. Findings from and methods developed through the research have been used at city, regional, national and international to support and implement revised strategies and investment programmes promoting sustainable transport. As such, they contributed to increased use of public transport, walking and cycling, and reduced dependence on car usage. The methods have also been widely used by international consultancies and other researchers.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Political

Research Subject Area(s)

Built Environment and Design: Urban and Regional Planning, Other Built Environment and Design

Enhancing the public understanding of architecture

Summary of the impact

Few can doubt the economic and social impact of the public's interest in our historic environment. This case study describes how research in the Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture (CASA) at the University of Bath has contributed to the public understanding of historic buildings and landscapes, and to their preservation. The underpinning research pioneered the application of computer-aided design techniques in modelling historic architecture and landscapes. These innovative computer models have been published in academic and popular monographs, and displayed in well-attended public exhibitions and lectures in Europe and America. This work has led to a demonstrable increase in public interest in, and a change in understanding of, these buildings and landscapes. It has also assisted national charities charged with their preservation (notably the National Trust and the Beckford Tower Trust in Bath) as well as helping architects to design new buildings in their proximity (notably in Bath).

Submitting Institution

University of Bath

Unit of Assessment

Architecture, Built Environment and Planning

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Built Environment and Design: Architecture, Design Practice and Management
Studies In Creative Arts and Writing: Film, Television and Digital Media

Improving international policy, practice and public understanding of radicalisation and disengagement from violent extremism

Summary of the impact

The research described here has informed discussion, debate, decision-making and practice among policy-makers working on counter-terrorism and radicalism both within and beyond the UK. It has contributed to the development and implementation of new tools supporting counter-terrorist work; enhanced understanding of important issues relating to terrorist psychology among professionals working in relevant areas; and informed international legal proceedings. These insights have strengthened and informed UK and international policy formulation and helped to generate strategies and practical tools for the implementation of counter-terrorism measures.

Submitting Institution

University of East London

Unit of Assessment

Law

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Studies In Human Society: Criminology
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

The Church of England in History 1540-1939

Summary of the impact

Arthur Burns' research on the history of the Anglican Church in England and Wales has had an impact on the Church, on its congregations, and on a wider public interested in genealogy and local history. The Building on History Knowledge Transfer Fellowship ensured a particular impact in London, as well as generating wider interest; the Clergy of the Church of England Database is consulted worldwide; his ongoing work on Thaxted already informs an important TV film.

Submitting Institution

King's College London

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies, Literary Studies
History and Archaeology: Historical Studies

The Clergy of the Church of England Database 1540-1835

Summary of the impact

This case study relates to cultural life and education. Kenneth Fincham is an internationally renowned scholar in the field of British Early Modern History, and the impact arose from a major research programme funded by the AHRC to create:

The database is an online resource launched in 2005 and available free to all users. It provides a relational database and supporting website containing key information on clergy, schoolteachers and ecclesiastical patrons which has brought together for the first time a comprehensive range of sources. From the start CCEd was designed to serve constituencies outside as well as within academia, and it has proved an invaluable resource for genealogists across the globe seeking information on clerical ancestors, local historians researching parish histories, independent researchers interested in the clergy, and hard-pressed archivists responsible for managing and interpreting major diocesan collections. It has received in excess of 9.9m hits since 2010 and highly positive feedback from its many different types of user.

Submitting Institution

University of Kent

Unit of Assessment

History

Summary Impact Type

Cultural

Research Subject Area(s)

Information and Computing Sciences: Library and Information Studies
Language, Communication and Culture: Cultural Studies

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