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The Build the Truce (BTT) project, undertaken at the University of Manchester (UoM), considers the challenges involved in establishing and maintaining a truce during times of conflict. Findings from the research provided the basis for two innovative exhibitions, co-funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS). First, an interactive multimedia display at the Imperial War Museum London (IWML), included as an official part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Second, a Big Picture Show (BPS); part of the rolling programme at the Imperial War Museum North (IWMN). Together these exhibitions, associated public engagement activities and workshops, have both challenged and altered public perceptions of truce, as well as offering a valuable example of how complex and controversial topics can be presented within a museum setting.
Clinical trials designed and led by Professor Chris Twelves (University of Leeds) showed eribulin to be the first single agent cytotoxic to prolong survival in women with heavily pre-treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC).
Eribulin has been approved by European, U.S. and other regulatory authorities since 2010. Cancer treatment guidelines in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere now recommend eribulin. Sales of eribulin generated many millions of pounds in the first full year following approval. Already tens of thousands of women have been treated with eribulin, who collectively have gained up to ten thousand added life years. The U.S. regulatory authorities have advocated the EMBRACE trial design for future trials.
Professor James and colleagues developed a comprehensive, multi-strand strategy for control of healthcare-associated infections caused by life-threatening bacterial superbugs Clostridium difficile (C.diff) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Founded on research to understand the transmission, virulence and antibiotic resistance of these species, their approach resulted in: (i) increased public awareness of healthcare associated infections; (ii) changed behaviours of the public and healthcare professionals to reduce transmission; (iii) improved national healthcare policies to control infections; and (iv) development of new antibiotic methods to tackle the rapidly-evolving resistance. The outcome is a nationwide decline in reported cases of C.diff and MRSA infections in patients since 2008, with consequent economic benefits to the NHS, Government and employers.
Human-computer usability research within the university's Sensory Disabilities Research Unit (1993-2002) led to the construction of accessibility guidelines that are widely used, with an estimated reach to a maximum of 30 million people in the EU. PAS 78: Guide to Good Practice in Commissioning Accessible Websites and BSI BS8788 Web Accessibility Code of Practice met 2010 web accessibility law in the UK and subsequent EU legislation. Similarly, BS EN 15823:2010: Braille on Packaging for Medicinal Products met UK, EU and International Standards for Braille on medicine packaging. Further research resulted in award-winning guides for blind users of Windows software that improves accessibility to work.
The case described shows that work reported in the 2008 RAE exploring the information seeking strategies of older users is currently having a direct and significant impact on government policy in respect of the broad area of digital inclusion. Impact has been influential in two primary areas: advice and guidance to policy making bodies and training needs for organisations so that design can accommodate industrial needs. Specifically there have been invited contributions and provision of expert advice to Government policy making forums and to lead on training for designing for all especially in the area of standardisation in Europe and worldwide, including under EU Mandate 376, which is in the process of establishing EU wide rules to ensure accessibility to information and communication technologies (ICT) products and services. The visible impact of these activities is the publication of several important reports and the use of the research to support the call for European Directive on the accessibility of public sector bodies' websites and the selection to work with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Scotland's Health On the Web (SHOW) was the first Healthcare Information Network of its kind and was developed in an EU project between 1996 and 1999. The original aim was to develop ways of exploiting the Web to provide trustworthy and authoritative health information in a way that was easy to find. The resulting system was adopted as the major vehicle of NHS Scotland for providing healthcare information to public and professionals. Serviced by a specially appointed team, it currently supports around 400 sites, and in recent years usage has been high, averaging around 50 million website hits per month.
Research at Cranfield School of Management has shown that, contrary to preconceptions, flexible working arrangements for employees do not adversely affect an organisation's performance. As a direct consequence of our research, and its unique and fundamental contribution to the Walsh Review, in 2009 the UK government extended the legal right of parents of children up to 16 years of age to request flexible working arrangements, affecting 4.5 million people.
The government also announced in 2012 plans to extend this right to all UK employees in 2014.
These findings have influenced policy debates and developments internationally through reports by the ILO and expert meetings of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
Young adults are a notoriously difficult group to engage in science education — but how do they react to a `Theoretical Zombiologist' from the University of Glasgow's `Zombie Institute for Theoretical Studies (ZITS)'? Using an innovative platform to target the delivery of complex biomedical science to young people, the `Zombie Science' comedy show has effectively engaged more than 26,000 young people and adults at more than 300 events, touring festivals and secondary schools around the UK. More than 90% of the audience members indicated that they had learnt something new about biosciences from the show. The show has received positive, enthusiastic reviews — lifting science from the pages of a textbook and bringing it, literally, back to life.
The University of Aberdeen's £1.4M Inclusive Practice Project has developed innovative approaches to teacher education to create classrooms where all children can learn through full participation in the school community, without the stigmatisation that comes from ability labelling. The Project has driven major changes in teacher education, in primary and secondary school classroom environments in Scotland and beyond. The Project is responsible for major changes to initial teacher education and ongoing professional teacher education programmes and is influencing education policy in Scotland and abroad.
The development of a high average power, all-fibre integrated, supercontinuum (or "white light") source, has led to a completely new product that has had significant commercial impact on the fibre laser and applications market place. The basic science, the technologically important power scaling and all-fibre integration were undertaken and first demonstrated by Imperial College staff. This device is currently sold as a compact free standing device by companies such as Fianium, NKT Photonics and IPG Photonics. Sales of supercontinuum lasers at Fianium alone have greatly exceeded £10M. The device has also been successfully incorporated into spectroscopic and medical imaging instrumentation generating new business activity through this disruptive technological change.