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The University of Brighton's sustained musculoskeletal research programme has, through the development of novel standardised data collection tools, improved data capture, communication, policy and business planning at local practitioner level and at organisational/regulatory body levels (e.g. Physio First, the private physiotherapy practitioner group of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) UK and the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)). Secondly, research findings from a study exploring patients' expectations have significantly informed the recent revision of the GOsC's osteopathic practice standards and a new revalidation scheme for osteopaths. Thirdly, as a result of studies identifying research priorities for the physiotherapy profession, changes have occurred in the direction and focus of research funding applied by the CSP's charitable trust.
The research in this impact case study has affected discourses concerning professional development and pedagogy from early years classrooms to higher education. By challenging orthodoxies, researchers have delivered new and generative understandings of teacher knowledge that have influenced debate in educators' communities and professional associations. Consequently, these bodies have used our research to guide their approach to the advancement of policy, practice and professional development in all education sectors. The impacts of our research have reached out to a range of national contexts including the UK, Australia, Cyprus, and South Africa.
This impact case study focuses on the effects of digital technologies on rural communities, including networks of inter-tribal relationships in Kenya. It emanates from a social model of user needs that, having transcultural applications, enabled rural communities across Kenya to document their suppressed histories, identify their community needs and become empowered agents in a process of peace and reconciliation. Parallel research on digital activism in rural and urban communities has helped citizens to understand their democratic place in a wider society in order to enhance their political participation. International policy-makers and campaigners in voluntary associations and NGOs have adopted the model.
CHAPMAN's research into emotionally durable design has radically shifted the values and practices of global businesses, helping them to cut waste and to enhance product, material and brand value. Through publications, exhibitions, master-classes and films, this research has transformed understanding of sustainable design in professional (Puma, Sony), policy (House of Lords, UN) and cultural (Design Museum, New Scientist) settings, propelling the field beyond its focus on energy and materials, towards deeper engagements that link psychosocial phenomena with ideas about consumption and waste. Furthermore, it has contributed to public debate and policy with the effect that the term `emotional durability' has now entered the international design lexicon, providing valuable shorthand for complex phenomena influencing product longevity.
History of design research at University of Brighton (UoB) has pioneered new methods of analysis and practices of interpretation to transform understandings of how design is produced, marketed and consumed. Firstly, it has changed the ways in which international organisations representing the design professions regard and value their history. Secondly, it has shaped the study and public appreciation of the history of design worldwide, and it has determined the kind of design that is collected and displayed. Thirdly, UoB has become an international nucleus for training researchers in design history, and thus partner of choice for design organisations and designers seeking expert stewardship and research-led promotion of their archives.
Research focusing on sustainable urban living explores design innovation at the intersection of technology and policy. Its impact has been through the co-design and co-development of integrated systems for securing a sustainable future in collaboration with user groups and communities. The research has reduced energy consumption and increased well-being through innovations in `whole system' retrofitting combined with user participation in the UK and France. It has also led to the development of `living laboratories' and exemplar projects for both the construction industry and building users, demonstrating ways of `locking-in' and reusing waste material in building construction. Influential in the development of planning policies for urban agriculture in London and Berlin, the research has also been instrumental in empowering and mobilizing communities in cities worldwide.
University of Brighton (UoB) research into the promotion and evaluation of rights-based, participatory approaches to teaching and learning has changed policies in schools, teachers' colleges, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in three international and national contexts:
Our research has harnessed the power of photography to expand the cultural imagination, creating new works and interpretive practices that enrich, illuminate and challenge perceptions of society and the world in which we live. Through exhibition, publication, and public and community engagement, our research has: 1) created cultural legacies for major public (Millennium Dome, Treasury) and commercial (Airbus) projects; 2) provided enhanced cultural experiences to multiple audiences and specific communities in the UK and Europe, provoking reflection on ideas of place and identity, and contributing to processes of cultural memory and reconciliation (Association of Jewish Refugees, Healing Through Remembering) and; 3) expanded photography within the cultural economy, working in partnership (Photoworks, Multistory) to build and sustain audiences for photography within and beyond the region.
Our research led to the creation of Football4Peace (F4P), which is a vehicle for conflict resolution and peace building in divided societies. By challenging cultural prejudice F4P has transformed passive citizens into active ambassadors for peace. More than 8,000 children, 595 coaches and many community leaders have participated in F4P projects during the census period, generating political discourse in the community and in governments up to ministerial level. Innovative community relations research in the context of Northern Ireland's peace process led to the development of the F4P initiative. Subsequently it changed the policies of sporting organisations in Israel, Jordan, Palestine, Ireland, South Africa and South Korea.
The impact of this research has been to improve the performance of elite athletes and safeguard the well-being of Paralympians. It has affected the management of athletes' dynamic physiological responses and advanced the regulatory frameworks of sporting bodies. This has changed the strategies of the USA Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee and the British Paralympic Association. The indirect impact of this primary research has been to change the routine training practices of recreational athletes and influence the advice on exercise given to military personnel and people with disabilities.