Developing Engaged Research Workshop - Centre for Engaged Research in association with the Research Office
The Centre for Engaged Research (CER) in association with the Research Office successfully hosted a the Developing Engaged Research Workshop at Dublin City University (DCU), Glasnevin Campus, on 27th February 2023. This event brought together over over 30 members of staff; including heads of research centres, researchers those in the public engagement space, from over 10 university designated research centres (UDRCs). Additionally, we had external speakers, namely Andrew Church; Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation at the University of Bedfordshire. All attendees came together to discuss how engaged research is conducted in their aarea of research; the positives, the negatives, and the barriers they have had to overcome. As engaged research is coming to the fore, as a group we discussed the ways in which engaged research could be facilitated more at DCU. We held breakout sessions where co-creation sessions were conducted, discussing the topics of 'Engaged Research methodologies' facilitated by Ronnie Munck and Brenda McNally, 'Engaged Research and Impact' facilitated by Christine Loscher and Helen Burke, and 'Community Links' facilitated by Laura Mahoney and Luke Quinlan. Through these co-creation sessions and open discussions held across the morning, recommendations were recorded which will be considered by DCU, all of which are recommendations to facilitate more engaged research across the university.
This event was organised as it is believed that engaged research is coming to the fore in Europe and DCU strives to continue to take a leadership role within this space, not least as part of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities. The CER is spearheading DCU’s effort to embed the methodologies and practices of engaged research, within DCU, nationally and internationally. There are many examples of excellent engaged research already being carried out across the DCU UDRCs. However, The CER and Research Office wished to bring together the UDRCs to facilitate a shared learning experience (e.g. methodologies, successes, issues, innovative strategies etc.) and equip researchers with the tools and knowledge they need to engage in meaningful engaged research and assist with securing the necessary funding to facilitate it.
The overall aims of the event were to increase the synergies between the DCUUDRCs and to ensure that they are supported and equipped to engage in meaningful engaged research, are committed to utilising such a methodology and to collaborating with each other, the CER, and relevant community organisations. This event will be a key component in the development of a positive, inclusive movement within DCU towards actively pursuing an engaged research agenda.
See the event schedule and recommendations below:
09.00 - 9.05 Welcome
Prof Michelle Butler, Executive Dean, Faculty of Science and Health, DCU.
09.05 - 9.15 What is Engaged Research?
Prof Ronnie Munck, Co-Director of the DCU Centre for Engaged Research, DCU.
09.15 - 9.25 Engaged Research and Impact
Prof Christine Loscher, Open Research Taskforce Chair, School of Biotechnology, DCU.
09.25 - 9.45 The Potential of Engaged Research
Prof Andrew Church, Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation, University of Bedfordshire
09.45 - 09.55 Engaged Research Resources and Support
Dr Helen Burke, Senior Research Support Officer, DCU Research Office, DCU.
09.55 – 10.15 Coffee Break
10.15 – 11.00 Presentations by DCU Research Centres on Engaged Research in their Field
Prof Deborah Connell, Director of The National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology
Assistant Prof Catherine Faherty, Associate Director of The National Centre for Family Business
Associate Prof Robert Gillanders, Co-Director of The Anti-Corruption Research Centre
Ruth Clinton, Water Innovation Manager at The Water Institute
Darran Heaney, Director of Engagement and Innovation at The Anti-Bullying Centre
Dr Eamon Costello, Management Committee Member at CASTeL
Prof Anthony Staines, Deputy Director of The Centre for E-Integrated Care
Prof Patrick Brereton, Co-Director of The Climate and Society Research Centre
11:00 - 11.45 Breakout Sessions
Community Links
Laura Mahoney, Executive Director of Engagement, DCU
Luke Quinlan, Coordinator of the DCU Centre for Engaged Research, DCU.
Engaged Research and Impact
Prof Christine Loscher, Open Research Taskforce Chair, School of Biotechnology, DCU.
Dr Helen Burke, Senior Research Support Officer, DCU Research Office, DCU.
Engaged Research Methods
Prof Ronnie Munck, Co-Director of The DCU Centre for Engaged Research, DCU.
Dr Brenda McNally, Postdoctoral Researcher, DCU Centre for Climate & Society, DCU.
11.45 - 12.15 Report Back
Breakout Session Facilitators
12.15 - 12.30 Way Forward for DCU & Engaged Research
Dr Sally Smith, Director of Research, DCU.
There were 35 researchers present at this workshop with a good level of participation and open discussion on the best way forward for DCU in terms of enhancing engaged research (ER) and establishing a framework to establish our strengths in this area. This report is followed by a set of recommendations that flow from the presentations, breakout sessions and the ensuing general discussion. It is envisaged to have another more public seminar around ER towards the end of 2023.
The objectives of the ER Workshop were as follows:
Engaged Research (ER) is coming to the fore in Europe and DCU continues to take a leadership role within this space, not least as part of the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU). The Centre for Engaged Research is spearheading DCU’s effort to embed the methodologies and practices of ER, within DCU, nationally and internationally. Activities undertaken to achieve this goal include provision of training and workshops (e.g. Research Centre-specific workshops, DCU taught module for post-graduate students etc.), dissemination and showcasing opportunities (e.g. seminar series, website spotlights etc.) and assistance with the establishment of university-community partnerships (e.g. via its partnership with the Dublin City Public Participation network of over 1,000 community organisations). There are many examples of excellent ER currently being carried out across the DCU Research Centres. The CER wishes to bring together the DCU Research Centres to facilitate a shared learning experience (e.g. methodologies, successes, issues, innovative strategies etc.) and equip researchers with the tools and knowledge they need to engage in meaningful ER and assist with securing the necessary funding to facilitate it. Additionally, CER will seek to create an awareness of the community networks that each of the Research Centres, and CER, engage with, and possibilities for future collaborations.
The overall aims of the event will be to increase the synergies between the DCU Research Centres and to ensure that they are supported and equipped to engage in meaningful ER, are committed to utilising such a methodology and to collaborating with each other, the CER, and relevant community organisations. It will be a key component in the development of a positive, inclusive movement within DCU towards actively pursuing an Engaged Research agenda.
Presentations
The following presentations were delivered to set the scene for the discussion:
- What is engaged research? - Click to see PowerPoint Presentation
- Engaged research and impact – Click to see PowerPoint Presentation
- DCU resources for ER - Click to see PowerPoint Presentation
Finally, Professor Andrew Church, PVC for Research and Innovation at the University of Bedfordshire presented on his long experience of promoting ER at Brighton and more recently at Bedfordshire. Whereas at Brighton, the emphasis was on the negotiations with civil society organisations, in the latter there is a link being forged with the City Council to tackle jointly poverty and lack of access to HE (similar to the DCU in the Community model). Both experiences are worth examining both for what works and what does not work.
- Brighton:
- Bedfordshire:
These presentations were followed by brief contributions from nine University Designated Research Centres on the way they have deployed ER, the prospects and challenges for this work going forward - Click to see Master PowerPoint Presentation. They provide rich examples of the work DCU already does in terms of ER and the potential to expand and generalise this work.
Breakout Sessions
These were the breakout sessions that allowed participants to ‘co-create’ our understanding of the issues and develop concrete recommendation on the way forward.
Community Links
A wide-ranging discussion concluded that:
- We need to develop clear principles and values at DCU around establishing community partnerships and sharing them with the DCU community: A whole university approach rather than working in isolation. But, how would this be facilitated, both systemically and attitudinally?
- There is a need for greater transparency, the sharing of knowledge across the university; methodologies, practices, community groups, funding schemes and the actual projects ongoing would be most beneficial. We note the considerable diversity in research being conducted at DCU, sometimes even within centres or faculties, and people do not know about it.
- There also needs to be wider structures in DCU that facilitates community partnerships and community-based research; including funding to pay community partners, ethical guidelines, principles on knowledge sharing, etc.
- Community partners need to feel valued either by being paid for the time, included and acknowledged in more phases of the research project (rather than brought in, examined, and told to leave, for want of a better example).
- A whole university approach to community partnerships and mapping is welcome if it can be done efficiently and effectively but there must be consideration of ‘fatigue’ in partners being asked too often to be part of multiple projects. If contacts are to be shared then transparency and partnership welfare must be considered.
- All participants agreed that a mapping exercise would be very beneficial indeed.
Engaged Research & Impact
Engagement is seen as a way to increase impact. However, there is a sense that impact works better for short term, readily visible, and easily measurable issues, It is less effective (to date anyway) and comprehending and valuing work on issues that are complex and problematic. ‘Knowledge exchange’ can be considered an alternative term that some researchers can feel more comfortable with.
The open research agenda currently being developed at DCU is aligned with national policy (https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/national-framework-on-the-transition-to-an-open-research-environment.html) around the delivery of the National Framework as part of the National Open Research Forum.
The implementation of the open research agenda is aligned with the principles of ER in that it seeks a better alignment between science and the needs of society and seeks to secure a relationship of trust between science and society.The breakout session discussed the difficulties in agreeing a practical method to measure impactThe focus on research as both shaping and being shaped by the public (this needs defining of course) is clearly the way the research landscape is going in Ireland as elsewhere. Engaged research can thus become more meaningful and useful to groups within society and this is more likely to have greater impact.
ER Research Methods
There was a presentation of a survey that was carried out across the UDRCs to establish the varying understandings of ER research methods - Click to See PowerPoint Presentation.
Some of the conclusions were as follows: there is general clustering around some standard ER research methods and there is a great variety in the ‘quality’ of engagement from quite passive to really quite active. Likewise, there are very different understandings of the nature and benefits of ER. This variety is not a problem but it needs to be recognised.
The discussion centred around the need to make it easier for a researcher to engage with the ER approach, for example to have clear procedures on how to reward community co-researchers and the ethical issues that potentially arise. There was also a sense that PIs still tend to choose fairly standard research methods such as interviews and focus groups so that we might consider more training courses presenting other less common methods.
The overall tenor of discussion, replicated in the other breakout sessions was the importance given to university level recognition and reward for engaged research if it is to be developed further.
Recommendations
The main recommendations that flowed from the breakout sessions and the discussions throughout are as follows:
Recognition and Rewards
A persistent barrier recognised across the various discussion was in terms of ‘recognition and rewards’ for the work done around engaged research. This means dedicated time, money and promotion prospects for those who do engaged research, generally recognised to be more time consuming and not immediately rewarding to the researcher.
Action: Open Research Taskforce/HR
Systems and procedures
A further barrier is the lack of clear and transparent system wide procedures to facilitate engaged research. The unclear status of community researchers (for example with HR and Finance) needs to be resolved and simple templates and procedures put in place. Likewise, there was a need expressed for DCU to provide clear guidelines for those engaging with communities, businesses and policy-makers where the protocols are not clear at present.
Action: RIS/CER
Mapping partners
There have been previous attempts to create a one-stop shop for university/community relationships and partnerships. If we are to move towards some sort of Helpdesk to facilitate that mission we need to move now to map the various relations UDRCs and others have with their various communities. That could avoid duplication and facilitate new researchers coming into the ER domain.
Action: CER/RIS
ER impact
The inter-related agendas of engagement and impact need to be systematised and DCU can use the present hiatus in terms of policy in Ireland to develop credible and robust measures based on international best practice. It is now recognised that the crude quantitative measures of the past will not suffice to evaluate impact so innovative practices are called for. DCU has done some work in this domain already and can become a sector leader.
Action: Open Research Taskforce/CER
ER training
The breakout session on research methods and the existing portfolio of research training indicates a gap in terms of the innovative research methods that could be deployed here to good advantage taking up best practices in DCU areas of inter-disciplinary research for example. There is already a successful GTE on engaged research but we can also develop a customised course for all staff at both beginner and advanced levels.
Action: CER/UDRCs
ER ethics
While recognising the value of current ethics guidance and procedures it was apparent that new issues were emerging in the area of engaged research such as the status of community co-researchers. More widely, it was felt that clear and robust ethical guidance was essential for PIs moving into engaged research and not the usual relationship with communities when we promote the notion of co-creation of knowledge.
Action: RIS/REC