Community universit

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• Background
• Idea for the Research Helpdesk Service-
• Identified early on and highlighted in our
  successful funding application to The Atlantic
  Philanthropies in 2002/3.
• Underpins the core aims of Cupp which are to
  support community-
• university engagement.
• Supports the University of Brightons corporate
  aim to nurture its intellectual capital
  ethically, imaginatively and sustainably, and
  make this widely available.

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• Aims of Research Helpdesk Service
• To provide a service which responds to requests
  for research support, information and resources
  from local community and voluntary organisations
  and groups
• To support the development of research
  partnerships and projects between the University
  of Brighton and the local community
• To help build research skills and capacity of
  small Community and Voluntary Organisations
  (CVOs), and contribute towards the quality of
  research produced by academic staff/students at
  the University of Brighton

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• Shaping the Research helpdesk service (Oct 03 to
  Feb 04)
• Brief
• To identify, plan and develop a range of
  appropriate research services in consultation
  with local key Community and Voluntary sector
  organisations (CVOs) and academic staff at the
  Universities of Brighton and Sussex
• To identify academic staff/students who were
  interested and had the capacity to get involved
  in providing research advice, guidance and
  support to local CVOs.
• To work in partnership (where possible) with
  current community based training providers and
  academic staff to develop a range of appropriate
  research support services
• Consultation phase - Local Community and
  Voluntary sector
• Universities of Brighton and Sussex
• Challenges

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• Successful launch of the helpdesk - March 2004
• Aim of the event to was to obtain feedback on our
  ideas for the
• service, which included
• Telephone helpline and signposting service
• Initial guidance to identify research needs
• One to one research support
• Research training seminars
• Research drop in
• Networking opportunities
• Partnership project development and support
• Information resources

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• Service development, implementation and progress
• Telephone helpline and signposting service
• Signposting service
• Referrals for student support
• Student community placements
• Senior Researchers Group One to one support
• Limits of the one to one service
• Research Drop in

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Some of the benefits of involvement in the Senior
Researchers Group Institute of Nursing and
Midwifery The new learning gained from
involvement in Cupp service provision and in
specific research partnership projects has helped
inform academic learning and teaching as well as
provide opportunities for students to carry out
project work (through wider involvement) School
of the Environment Cupp involvement has led to
improved networking opportunities, which has in
the longer term led to new learning. This has
been especially valuable where it links with
teaching.
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Some of the benefits of support for community and
voluntary organisations- Helping organisations
to think more strategically having people who
can play devils advocate in a helpful and
practical way. This has helped organisations to
think through the evidence-base for their
work sometimes its painful, but it has
helped to have someone ask us difficult
questions. Our work is better as a
result Gives the work of community
organisations authority and credibility
being involved in consultations with the
university gives credibility to any
organisations work, grant applications, project
work. It suggests that the work has been properly
thought through and planned, and that it is
evidence-based it does give us an edge,
shows that weve done it properly. Yes it looks
good for us, that weve had this involvement
with the university Helps organisations to see
the relevance of research and evaluation in
helping them to achieve their aims.
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• Community Research Forum/ collaborative ventures
• April 2005 Forum on lesbian, gay, bisexual,
  transgender (LGBT) research
• Delivered in partnership with the Health and
  Social Policy Research Centre and Co-chaired by
  West Sussex HIV Commissioning Manager
• Led to development of two projects
• November 2005 Forum on research around issues
  affecting older people
• Delivered in partnership with Clinical Research
  Centre and Chaired by International Development
  Manager for Brighton and Sussex PCT
• Led to dissemination of project outcomes and call
  for partners on another project
• June 2006 Forum on black and minority ethnic
  research is currently being planned

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• Research training programme 2004
• Evaluation
• Accessing and using of the GB Census
• Interviewing
• Needs assessments
• Questionnaires
• Introduction to community research
• Led by researchers from the Health and Social
  Policy Research Centre and the School of the
  Environment

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• Research training programme 2005
• Accessing and using of the GB Census
• Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
• Using Excel for statistics
• Led by researchers from the School of the
  Environment and the Statistical Consultancy Unit

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• Research project development and support
• 10 current research partnership projects
• 8 completed research partnership projects
• Cupp project selection criteria
• Challenges of supporting research
  community/university research
• Timing
• Effective support
• Meeting the needs of all partners
• Not all proposals are agreed

• Current issues

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• Supporting existing partnerships and networks
• The helpdesk currently is a member of and
  supports a small number of community based
  networks and partnerships. These are
• Single Parent Information Network (SPIN)
• Black Minority Ethnic Community Partnership
• World AIDS Day (WAD) Sussex Partnership
• Black Minority Ethnic Community (WAD) Planning
  Group
• Black Minority Ethnic Health Network
• Social Mentoring Network (led by the Brighton and
  Sussex Medical School)
• Service Users and Carers Network (based in the
  School of Applied Social Science)

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• Enquiries to date
• Research helpdesk has received over 600 enquiries
  to date
• Wide variety of groups and organisations
• Wide variety of areas of interest
• Breakdown of enquirers is included in the handout

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• Considerations for ongoing development of the
  service
• Expansion of service in Hastings area
• Growth in research skills
• Access to service for hard to reach and
  underserved groups
• Sustainable development
• Involvement of schools and areas of the
  university not yet involved
• Development of wider research partnerships
• Capacity issues for the helpdesk
• Monitoring outputs

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