The University as a Social and Public ‘Good’: Creating an Anchor out of Community Engaged Research 

Call for Papers and Presentations

Hornton Grange, The University of Birmingham, Wednesday 25th March 2020, 9.30am-5.00pm


“Universities have an irreplaceable and unique role in helping their host communities thrive – and their own success is bound up with the success of the places that gave birth to them” Lord Kerslake (Chair of UPP Foundation Civic University Commission, 2019).

The concept of the ‘Civic University’ and the current debate on the social and public good of universities creates an opportunity to strengthen links between universities and their communities. This one day conference explores different ways of developing a renewed civic nexus with universities and communities that have not traditionally engaged with the HE sector.  The event is funded by UKRI and co-designed by community researchers who are part of USE-IT! Community Research social interest company, which builds on the ERDF funded project USE-IT! (www.useituia.co.uk). USE-IT! aims to link local residents to large-scale urban transformations and is scalable and transferable to other urban contexts.   

The University Partnerships Programme (UPP) Foundation report: Truly Civic: Strengthening the Connection between Universities and their Places (2019), makes no direct reference to community research, community engagement  or ‘mechanisms’ to deliver greater collaboration in the research or policy production process.  The conference will therefore provide a platform to explore i) how communities can engage with the HE sector and universities in co-designing research or setting the research and policy agenda in a way that values diverse knowledge bases; and ii) mechanisms that can bridge the gap between HE institutions and communities in order to open up new avenues to enhance the civic contribution of universities. 

The conference will feature invited plenaries, academic, community and practitioner panels and a poster display of co-designed and community-engaged research.  The conference will seek to examine the value of a variety of models and mechanisms that universities and HE partners have used to reach out to communities in order to co-design or validate research and include communities and resident experts in the research process. Contributions from a range of disciplinary backgrounds and positions are encouraged including: academics, doctoral researchers, policy makers, practitioner/community researcher that have engaged with universities and the HE sector in projects that have a wider benefit to the community. We are particularly interested in papers that focus on the following thematic areas:


1)	Institutional and strategic contexts for conducting community-engaged research and developing universities as a social and public ‘good’:

•	The opportunities and challenges of creating future civic universities 
•	How civic university agreements can be realised and supported
•	Cultural and organisational issues experienced by universities and communities in research co-production.

2)	Understanding experiences of research co-production to advance practice and outcomes:

•	Models of engagement in research co-production and how success is measured
•	Research co-production, policy engagement and impact
•	The role of out-reach work and the development of community or urban hubs in the creation of future civic universities 
•	Lessons in supporting social enterprises for civic engagement
•	New mechanisms of community engagement on university campuses
•	Models of success in the support and progression of community researchers or resident experts.

3)	Innovative and critical academic perspectives on research co-production and the role of civic universities:

•	Epistemology, ontology and methodology in community engaged research: working with diverse knowledge bases
•	Advancing theoretical perspectives on community engaged research and notion  of the civic university 
•	Ethical concerns  in the co-production of research.

Abstracts for paper proposals or presentations (250 words max) should be emailed to Aleksandra Kazlowska ([log in to unmask]) by 12th February 2020. You will also need to submit a biographic note(s) (150 words per author). 

Decisions on paper / presentation acceptance will be communicated by email by 19th February 2020. 

To register for the event (as presenter or attendee) please book your place at: 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-university-as-a-social-and-public-good-creating-an-anchor-out-of-community-research-engagement-tickets-90175183401 

This event is supported by UKRI and UIA and is FREE. We will provide refreshments on the day so please inform us of any dietary requirements you may have.  When booking please ensure that you can attend or nominate someone to attend on the day so that we do not waste food and resources. Many thanks.


Contacts for more details: 
Aleksandra Kazlowska [log in to unmask]
Lisa Goodson [log in to unmask]; 0121 414 4993
Peter Lee [log in to unmask], 0121 414 3645

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