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This case study demonstrates that the Transitional Justice Institute (TJI) peace process research has substantially impacted on key stakeholders in multiple conflicted and post-conflict states. Impacts include developing sustained relationships with public officials to inform policymaking, making recommendations for legal changes, capacity building with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on peace process issues and addressing conflict-related abuses, informing public debate, and raising awareness of international and comparative legal standards among local judiciaries subsequently applied in their work. Impacts have benefited a range of users and contributed to growing sensitivity to victims' needs in conflict resolution.
Historical research into natural disasters has underpinned emergency planning and management in the UK and overseas. Undertaken by colleagues in Hull and other HEIs, the output of this research has contributed to the setting of industry standards, informed the development of modern technology, highlighted issues of social justice, prompted cultural comparisons of `best practice', assisted in reducing communities' vulnerability and linked reconstruction work to developmental issues. Non-academic beneficiaries of the research are communities and individuals in disaster-affected areas, and the governments and NGOs involved in managing disasters.
Michael Cullinane's research on anti-imperialism has influenced the way in which history is taught in a number of secondary schools across the United States. By making the research for his book Liberty and American Anti-Imperialism available through lesson plans on his website www.antiimperialist.com, Cullinane has given students and teachers access to relevant learning resources. As a result, lesson plans and state curricula have changed. Secondly, Cullinane has promoted a transnational and global perspective of the Philippine-American War, which has been adopted by heritage organisations, such as the Lopez Foundation of Balayan and the Filipino-American Association of New England (PAMAS).
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is an evidence-based, brief, group therapy for people with mild to moderate dementia. It was developed and evaluated by UCL in collaboration with Bangor University. Our research showed significant benefits in cognition and quality of life plus cost-effectiveness. Cognitive Stimulation for people with mild/moderate dementia of all types is recommended by NICE and is now in widespread use across the UK and the rest of the world in a variety of settings including care homes, hospitals and the community. A recent audit by the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme reported that 66% of UK memory clinics surveyed were using CST.
Annette Karmiloff-Smith is a world-leading scientist in the field of cognitive development. This case study describes her ongoing work for Procter & Gamble (P&G) as their scientific consultant for baby development that is based on her research into typical and atypical child development. She designed and wrote booklets, DVDs, and articles for the Pampers.com website on different aspects of child development, sleep, and parent-child interactions. This information has reached millions of parents worldwide. She also checks the scientific correctness of the educational information that P&G communicates on its website, and of statements made by P&G advertising.
Professor Jay Mitra's research has developed both a novel theory of entrepreneurship and a series of recommendations for effective teaching in entrepreneurship, with specific emphasis on how entrepreneurship education can help emerging economies. His research has informed his consultation work as a specialist in entrepreneurship training for the OECD's Local Economic and Employment Development Programme. Much of this research was conducted as part of a UK Government-sponsored Education Partnership in Africa programme, which established Mitra's links with education authorities and universities in Africa. The entrepreneurship education framework developed in the research has since been implemented nationwide in Nigeria as a result of these links.
Half of the world's bird species cannot be sexed by their physical appearance. This posed a major problem for conservation breeding, which is dependent upon identification of the birds' sex for mating birds, as well as ensuring an equal sex ratio of birds for reintroduction into the wild. Researchers at the University of Glasgow developed a simple DNA test to determine the sex of birds. The test has been adopted by commercial companies in the UK and USA, one of which includes Avian Biotech (USA), who perform approximately 50,000 tests a year for commercial, conservation and private breeders, generating revenues of around £618,000. The test is available to a broad range of international groups, including zoos and conservation organisations, where it has been fundamental to the management of captive breeding of some of the world's rarest bird species.
Rabies is the most lethal known infectious disease and kills 55,000 people annually worldwide, mainly in Africa and Asia; however, it is almost entirely preventable. Effective vaccines for animals and humans are available, but their use is limited by cost and accessibility. Research undertaken at the University of Glasgow by Professor Sarah Cleaveland and her team has led to the development and adoption of new health and veterinary policies in East Africa, transforming research findings into practical strategies for rabies prevention and control. These strategies reduce the cost of medical treatment (such as post-exposure prophylaxis), increase its effectiveness (by improving compliance) and eliminate the barriers to receiving treatment in some of the world's most disadvantaged communities. Research by the Glasgow team on dog vaccination strategies has also made a major contribution to the recognition by the World Health Organization (WHO) that global canine rabies elimination is feasible, with national and global strategies now focussing on dog vaccination as a cost effective means of reducing human rabies deaths.
Rabies is an infectious disease that kills at least 55,000 people annually, primarily in Asia and Africa, with infected dogs being the major source of infection in humans. In a recent rabies epidemic on the Indonesian island of Bali, between Dec 2008 and June 2011, over 130 human deaths occurred, because the actions of the local authorities were not sufficient to control the outbreak. Research undertaken at the University of Glasgow was instrumental in the development of an island-wide canine vaccination strategy between 2010 and 2013. These campaigns controlled the spread of rabies in dogs (villages reporting new cases) and reduced the incidence of human deaths by over 90% compared with the incidence before mass canine vaccination started, in late 2010. As of July 2013, Bali had gone 11 months without a human case of rabies. The research also contributed to advocacy, policy formulation and development of computer-based tools to support rabies control both within Bali and other developing countries.
Research in the area of mobile digital storytelling conducted at Swansea University has shown that hundreds of millions of people are disempowered by lack of appropriate digital devices, services and infrastructure. In a programme of research starting with real users in communities in rural India, Southern Africa and rural UK, we designed, developed and tested new systems, leading to the integration and delivery of new techniques and platforms by major service providers, including IBM. Open source software developed to simplify media creation and sharing is being used by communities around the world, and has been downloaded more than 14,000 times. The research has increased awareness of "digital divide" issues and has changed attitudes in technology companies and public audiences.