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In late 2010 Professor Sanderson decided to form the Flux ceramics spin-out company at Staffordshire University in order to exploit a significant market gap he had discovered via his KTP research project for Aynsley China Ltd., Stoke-on-Trent. Flux has been able to exploit the market gap discovered in a way that Aynsley China was unwilling to pursue. Flux has produced cutting edge ceramic tableware design that has been successful in terms of both sales and recognition as a valuable contribution to contemporary tableware design. Flux won the Home and Gardens Design Award in 2012.
Good quality water is essential for life on earth. The `Centre for Intelligent Environmental Systems' (CIES) has developed computer-based solutions for the assessment of river water quality by environmental agencies, working to improve the quality. CIES research has informed discussions and decisions of the UK Technical Advisory Group for the Water Framework Directive (UKTAG WFD). UKTAG WFD have selected the WHPT (Walley, Hawkes, Paisley & Trigg) method, for assessing river water quality throughout the UK, in the context of river management to meet the targets set in the Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC from the European Union), which the UK government signed up to in 2000 (Beneficiaries: UKTAG WFD; Environment agencies; The public). Indirect impacts can also be attributed to CIES research, as it enables improvements of river quality, which triggers positive impacts on the natural environment, public health and quality of life (Beneficiaries: The public). CIES software has also been released to environment agency biologists as second opinion tools, thereby resulting in improved delivery of the public service provided by these biologists, when they use the software (Beneficiaries: Environment agencies; Environment agency biologists; The public).
Geoff Walton's PhD thesis in the area of information literacy, together with the input of Allison Pope, led to two significant impacts. The first is the development of a web-based online study skills tool, called The Assignment Survival Kit (or ASK). This tool has been adopted by a number of colleges and universities worldwide. The second strand of impact is the manner in which this work underpinned the delivery of information literacy teaching programmes for the British Library of Development Studies (BLDS).
Video surveillance or monitoring is an important ingredient of modern life. Research conducted by the 2017Centre for Information, Intelligence and Security Systems` (CIISS), into improving the reliability of automated detection of visual entities in videos, has made an impact on public services and on practitioners (increased speed and quality, lower labour cost — Beneficiaries: U.K. Police; police investigators) and their health (mitigation of potential physical or psychological harm — Beneficiaries: police investigators), on society (reduction of a factor associated with crime rates and legal costs — Beneficiaries: the public; tax-payers), and on business (creation of a spin-out company - Adaptive Video Analytics Technologies Ltd — Beneficiaries: UK; and influence on management decisions about technology choices — Beneficiaries: Serco Group plc (HMP Dovegate)).
We have developed, and applied, an approach to help athletes view the psychological stress of competition as a challenge (positive) rather than a threat (negative). This approach either has been, or is shortly to be, used in professional football, professional cricket, international rowing, international Futsal, as well as being applied to the workplace and in education. Central to this approach is a protocol, underpinned by theory, for assessing cardiovascular responses to the psychological stress of competition that indicates a challenge or threat state. Based on this protocol feedback is provided which is used to identify, and support, those who may need to develop a challenge approach. The impact of this work is disseminated through public engagement events and invited talks.
Research by Prof Iraj Hashi has had a significant impact on the development of policies on Employee Financial Participation (EFP) by the institutions of the European Union. The impact has been achieved through the preparation of two major reports for DG V (Employment), a study for the European Parliament, and a study for the European Commission (currently underway). As a result of these works, various institutions of the EU have proposed policies to encourage employee participation in the results of their work (in the form of share ownership, profit sharing, share options, etc.). Most recently, the Commission has issued a call for tender for a "Pilot Project - Promotion of Employee Ownership and Participation", and has also included EFP as an element of its Action Plan to reform European company law and corporate governance. These reports and the associated policy proposals have been informed by, and in turn facilitated, the research by Prof Hashi; in particular, Hashi (1998), Hashi and Hashani (2011) and Hashi and Hashani (2013).
The impact is founded upon methodologically innovative research that was carried out into football fans' attitudes towards homosexuality (with a subsequent study concerning race taking up the same methods). The conclusions reached challenged a widely held set of assumptions. The research in turn prompted positive responses from the Government Equalities Office and the report of the House of Commons Committee on Racism in Football. The research was also extensively reported on in the press internationally, and has been used in several major radio and television documentary programmes. The research, then, has been an important and continuing influence in the debates concerning professional football culture.
We have been involved in initiatives to improve the health behaviour of ~20,000 people from deprived communities, with a focus on increasing levels of physical activity, dietary change, and engagement with natural environments (e.g., parks). We have worked with communities to ensure the sustainability of these positive changes. Further, we have disseminated our research widely through engagement with stakeholders to influence practice and policy and through media coverage. These impacts are based on our research which has demonstrated that to change health behaviours multiple levels of intervention are required and we have focused on two of these levels; community engagement and changing the environment.
The education and life chances of children are closely related to the performance of the school they attend. Researchers at the IEPR have been involved in research on school performance for some years now, and the research outlined below has made significant conceptual and empirical contributions to current debates about the effects of policy changes on secondary school performance. This is demonstrated by citations in evidence to the House of Commons Select Committees and national media. The main impact of our research has been on policy-makers, and those individuals whose lives have been affected by the work of policy-makers.