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Research by the Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (JIIC) has been influential in taking curation beyond normal museum practice. The work has led to the development of novel applications of digital scanning, CAD processes and rapid prototyping. These have enabled the creation of detailed replicas of damaged and deformed precious and fragile objects of cultural heritage. Coupled with the craft design expertise of the researchers these processes have shed new light on the techniques used to produce the original pieces. The handleable replicas that these processes generate are transforming the way museum curators are balancing the competing demands of preservation, restoration and interpretation of objects with those of public access to them. JIIC has assisted museum and heritage professionals at several venues with these transformative approaches, e.g. Black Country Living Museum, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery (BMAG), the Museum of London and National Museums Liverpool.
Professor Geoff Gilbert's research on exclusion in international refugee law has influenced policies of international organisations and courts around the world. His research on extradition prompted the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to invite Gilbert to write the Global Consultation on exclusion, adopted in 2001 at the 50th Anniversary meeting for the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. This Consultation directly influenced UNHCR's 2003 Guidelines on Exclusion that have been cited worldwide in hundreds of cases during the impact period. Canadian and German appellate courts have also favourably cited Gilbert's work directly.
Dr Swenson-Wright's research into mechanisms for resolving the security challenge of a nuclear North Korea combines collaboration with a broad range of policy communities, advocacy and advisory work with the UK and Republic of Korea (ROK) governments, engagement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (including unique educational and cultural initiatives between Britain and the DPRK), contact with policy makers, politicians, military officers, corporate and nongovernmental representatives, as well as frequent interaction with the international media and the general public. His research has had an impact on government policy, training military personnel, deepening public and media understanding of the Korean situation, and persuading business leaders to engage with the DPRK.
Population research carried out by the University of Southampton in China, the world's most populous country, led to significant changes in the structure and delivery of a major United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) programme, thereby ensuring improved access to quality reproductive health and family planning services for more than 750 million Chinese men and women. Southampton's research provided the evidence of the impact that the UN programme was having which enabled the UNFPA to secure sustained financial support from international stakeholders to continue its work in China. The evidence from the research also convinced the Chinese government to roll out the programme nationwide and to re-orient family planning provision in China towards informed choice.
Research by Professor Anoush Ehteshami has been drawn upon by senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office Research Analysts in developing UK foreign policy. In particular, it has informed their thinking on UK policy responses to the changing dynamic between the Middle East and East Asia; and on UK policy responses to Iran's nuclear programme. This has fed directly and indirectly into UK Government foreign policy.
From the 9th to the 7th century BC, the Assyrian empire dominated the ancient world. Its infrastructural and administrative heritage shaped the Middle East for millennia and its history illuminates key features of imperialism in general. But limited access to the ancient sources has severely inhibited the study of Assyria: cuneiform script and Akkadian language are taught in only c. 50 universities worldwide and text editions are rarely accessible outside of these institutions. The literature available to wider audiences is very limited. Professor Karen Radner has transformed this situation by making the results of her research available via two websites designed to open up the study of Assyrian history to non-specialist users. These significant new educational resources have benefited hundreds of thousands of users from around the globe.
The Comprehensive nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is the leading tool for minimizing the high-magnitude threats posed by nuclear weapons to the environment and to world peace. A major impediment to monitoring compliance with the CTBT is the difficulty of distinguishing natural earthquakes from man-made explosions: the seismic discrimination problem. Seismological research at Oxford University into fundamentals of theoretical and computational seismology led to the development of new methods and algorithms that are now integrated into discrimination for CTBT monitoring. The resulting impact has been a major upgrade in the UK's capability in seismic discrimination, and a significant contribution to global capabilities in this area.