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Work by University of Stirling staff has contributed directly to improved wildlife resource management in the Central African region. Innovative research into the status and trends of key wildlife populations, ecological impacts, resource harvests and trade, drivers of resource use and assessing management success have contributed directly to new thinking on the issue, revisions of laws and policy and to success in attracting foreign aid for management issues. Stirling staff members now advise the Government of Gabon on resource management policies, National Park management and biodiversity issues.
Industrial regions around the UK are seeking to develop bio-based economies in order to minimise their CO2 emissions and stimulate economic regeneration.
Researchers at Surrey, in collaboration with key industrialists from the Humber region, have produced a mathematical model of the main factors influencing the transition to, and establishment of, a bio-based economy. This model has been used by the Humber Environmental Managers (HEM) group, and the Humber local authorities to help guide strategic planning for the region. The outcome is that the research has contributed to environmental improvement and economic regeneration of the Humber region, and has indirectly impacted on public policy.
Research and knowledge exchange led by Prof. Jefferies in sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) has driven the design and integration of SUDS into urban environments, into urban planning and everyday practice in the UK, Europe and worldwide. This research has contributed to the development of policies and established guidelines that have informed the set-up of operational and monitoring systems and the reduction of a training manual which is impacting widely on the sector (downloaded >40.000 times). Evidence gathered through this research has supported drainage policy nationally and now underpins important parts of urban infrastructure, improving environments and their resilience to flooding.
Research led by Midmore over the past two decades has improved understanding of the impact of external pressures on hill and upland farming systems, and consequent effects on the wider social, demographic and environmental context in which they are set. This provided evidence for improved agricultural and agri-environmental policymaking, of particular usefulness in the context of a newly devolved administration, and also stimulated the development of practical initiatives involving individual farm and non-farm beneficiaries, recreational visitors and eco-tourists, and other stakeholder beneficiaries. It helped to counteract adverse economic trends, and heightened public awareness of the interdependence of cultural assets, recreational potential and natural beauty with agricultural methods to achieve a sustainable hill and upland economy and society.
Bangor Research since 1998 has pioneered, through experimental, comparative and modelling studies and industry collaborations, quantification of the wider ecosystem effects of fishing, specifically on seabed habitats. Novel findings gave policy and economic benefits to the fishing industry and led to the sustainable, continued profitable development of the UK's largest blue mussel fishery and Isle of Man scallop fishery, with a combined value of £22M. It directly led to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of these fisheries and underpinned certification of dozens of other demersal fisheries. Additionally, the research has influenced UK retailer policies on sustainable fish sourcing, providing direct environmental and commercial benefits and improving public knowledge and sustainable consumption.
The Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model (SAPM) makes a major contribution to national and international debate on public policy and services, focusing on policies aimed at reducing alcohol misuse in society.
SAPM provides the core evidence underpinning Scottish Government plans to implement a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol and is cited in the Prime Minister's foreword to the 2012 UK Alcohol Strategy. The model's findings have influenced health policy debate in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the European Commission.
SAPM findings for the cost-effectiveness of a programme of identification and brief advice (IBA) in primary care underpin the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence guidance on this topic.
The North East Economic Model (NEEM) was designed and developed at Durham University Business School (DUBS) from 2003. Customized to the regional economy, the aim of the research was for NEEM to model intra- and extra-regional economic relationships to provide quantitative estimates/projections of the impact of both long-term economic trends and shorter-term economic `shocks'. Its application has had significant impacts on policy practitioners in the region by: (1) facilitating more robust evidence-based policy analysis; (2) giving rise to knowledge transfer to policy-makers regarding the structure and workings of the regional economy; and (3) acting as a catalyst for an extended regional policy-modeling capacity. By influencing professional practice, it has had demonstrable impacts on regional economic policy, regional economic restructuring and local planning.
Over 25 years, research by Hendry and Stevenson has explored the specific challenges faced by Make-to-Order (MTO) manufacturing companies and developed a novel Workload Control (WLC) approach, which has been most notably implemented in PDS Engineering. This led to significant increases in successful bids and reductions in lead times for PDS, with a knock on effect through their supply chain that includes large aerospace companies like Rolls-Royce. Publication of this stream of research led to international collaborations including in the Netherlands and Belgium, where an EU project involving 10 firms and further consultancy work has also led to reductions in lead times, typically of over 50%. The WLC approach is now ready for commercialisation in the UK.
In 2008-2009 the UK was subject to legal infraction proceedings at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for allegedly failing to implement the European Union's Urban Waste-water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). Research by the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies, Hull (IECS) for the Environment Agency (EA)/Defra provided evidence to the UK Government for its defence against these allegations. The research consisted of:
- literature/data reviews and collection and analysis of critical evidence from the Humber.
- co-ordinating workshops and convening an expert panel of sufficient authoritative academic opinion to counteract the European Court of Justice allegations.
In December 2009 the European Court of Justice ruled in favour of the UK. Our research therefore helped to save very significant, unnecessary capital investment in nutrient removal technology for sewage treatment nationally and in the Yorkshire and Humber region especially. The UK government thus avoided the possibility of major European Commission fines of up to €703,000 per day, or €256m per annum, for infraction of the Urban Water-water Treatment Directive [1].
Research by Lisa Emberson has led to tighter controls on air pollutant precursor emissions of ozone (O3) across Europe benefiting crop and forest productivity, and grassland species composition. Emberson's research led to new risk assessment methods, based on knowledge of atmospheric exchange processes and plant eco-physiology, which assess O3 uptake and related damage using novel flux-based `Critical Levels'. These new methods are being used to optimise emission reduction policy by 26 parties (member states) who have signed and ratified the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Gothenburg Protocol established under the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP).