ESRC-funded projects mean business

Tuesday, 20 September 2011 4:06 PM

The ESRC is pleased to announce that it is supporting five new projects in partnership with business which will continue to apply academic knowledge and thinking to business problems.

Businesses have been putting social science theory and research findings into practice for years. Social science can benefit business in numerous ways: from developing our understanding of business practices, to enhancing business tactics and the wider social and economics effects. To help build on this successful practice of collaboration, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is pleased to announce that it is supporting five new projects in partnership with business which will continue to apply academic knowledge and thinking to business problems.

Each project will involve a range of collaborations in order to share and apply good ideas, research results, experiences, theories and engagement skills. These projects include:

•Professor P Jarzabkowski, Aston University, Trading risks: The role of European firms in the global reinsurance market (RES-186-27-0020)
•Professor N O’Regan, University of the West of England, Fast-Tracking the Competitiveness of Firms in the South West (RES-186-27-0019)
•Professor S Oates, University of Glasgow, Civic Consumers or Commercial Citizens?: Social Scientists Working with Google UK to Better Understand Online Search Behaviour (RES-192-22-0134)
•Professor M Price, UHI Millennium Institute, Sustainable Estates for the 21st Century: Furthering Landowner-Community Engagement (RES-192-22-0122)
•Professor D Demeritt, King’s College London, Improving the communication and use of ensemble flood predictions (RES-189-25-0286)
The ESRC’s Knowledge Exchange Opportunities enable academics to work with business organisations. The opportunities are available for social science researchers at all stages of their career with the intention of encouraging dialogue and collaboration with business.

Dr Fiona Armstrong, Head of Knowledge Exchange comments "We are committed to working with the business community on the co-production of knowledge; these five projects are just one of the ways that we are working to make this happen. Applying research to business practice can lead to creative thinking and innovation for business and will help to drive the UK’s future economic prosperity."

ESRC Press Office:
•Danielle Moore
Email: danielle.moore@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone 01793 413122
•Jeanine Woolley
Email: jeanine.woolley@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone 01793 413119
Notes for editors:
1.The Knowledge Exchange Opportunities run as a number of staggered calls per year. A call is currently open and closes on 27 October 2011. Call documents are available on the following link (http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/collaboration/knowledge-exchange/opportunities/index.aspx)
2.The newly designed research catalogue can be used to find relevant academics and research findings. This source can be used by people working in the public sector, business, civil society and academia, by providing research on the most important social science issues affecting Britain today.
3.The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the civil society sector. The ESRC’s total budget for 2011/12 is £203 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes. More at www.esrc.ac.uk
 

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