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Allwood's research into Women and Politics has looked at women's participation in mainstream and alternative forms of political activity; gender and policy, focusing on prostitution, violence and abortion policy; and the political participation of refugee women. The research has informed government advisory panels, think-tanks, and NGOs, in particular in debates around gender quotas and the relationship between gender and democracy. External voices and actors have helped shape the research process, and the audience of this research has made material and distinct decisions based on new insights effectively shared, as demonstrated by citations of research outputs in policy documents and discussion papers.
Dr Robert Beckford's research triangulates black liberation theology, documentary film and racial justice practice. It has constructively influenced the racial justice strategies in different settings and contributed to civil society by challenging social assumptions and cultural values. The case study demonstrates how Dr Beckford's research on Biblical exorcism as a socio-political trope is translated into a political resource by highlighting the empowerment and motivation for a working group, working for equalities in the local community (Birmingham Race Action Partnership, Bringing Hope), a black Pentecostal church ministry and the empowerment of black workers at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.
This case describes the impact of Professor John D. Barrow's research into the value of the cosmological constant and the constants of physics. The impact occurred through extensive engagement with the public via talks and public lectures, online talks and articles, newspaper and magazine articles, books and radio broadcasts. The engagement led to widespread public interest and increased public discourse in the UK and beyond, the impact being especially strong in Italy. The research has inspired young people, teachers and the general public internationally to follow cosmological developments.
The research examines how the use of norms and standards of human rights and equality law are used to measure human rights performance through `human rights and equality impact assessment'. The work has been directly used by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (Pacific and Geneva), the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, the Canadian Government, and the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC), and has been influential both in developing and in changing policy. It has also been used by a wide range of civil society organisations in the UK, Europe, Pacific, India and Canada, and has informed debates at all levels of government.
Research conducted at the University of Surrey focused on the problems caused by noise from wind farms, smell from sewage farms, industrial emissions, and other forms of environmental pollution and how the quality of public health could be improved through better regulation. The research impacted in the following ways:
1) Changes to Government policies such as codes of practice and guidance notes; and
2) Changes to enforcement procedures of environmental health officers.
Economic impact is claimed through the growth of the biopharmaceutical spin-out company Q Chip Ltd. During the REF period, this has created 19 new jobs, £7.5M investment, a new Dutch subsidiary (Q Chip BV), and staged-payment, six figure contract sales to four major international pharmaceutical companies.
Q Chip has generated over £928K in contract sales from the pharmaceutical industry from 2008-2012, with further sales of over £1M projected in 2013-14.
Originally established by Professor David Barrow in 2003 from his micro technology research, Q Chip has developed new processes and miniaturised equipment to encapsulate materials, including drugs, within uniform polymeric microspheres as injectable therapeutics.
Research on the life of Sophie Scholl as a model of civil courage and its subsequent impact in the UK and beyond has led to:
In the UK prison system, new management and assessment procedures and training programmes have been developed as a direct response to a research programme, led by Huw Williams, into the high incidence of head injury in young offenders, and its association with repeat offending. To convert research findings into impact, the team was instrumental in setting up the Criminal Justice and Acquired Brain Injury Interest Group and has contributed data and recommendations to a number of networks, including Parliamentary Policy Groups. Research is continuing to influence policy and legislation (e.g. the Children and Family Bill) as a result of the Ministry for Justice and others becoming aware of brain injury as an important factor for repeat offending.