Research
We review and summarise existing research to make it more easily accessible so its insights can be understood and applied more widely. Our approach is objective and we are clear about what evidence there is and where there are gaps.
Castleford Roman Festival, Wakefield Council. Photo: Sarah Zagni
Our research themes
As a research centre, our primary role is to review and synthesise existing research to make its findings more accessible via a series of research digests. This means a wider audience, including those working in the cultural sector and policymakers, can easily access relevant insights from a range of academic studies.
Our research reviews are focused around the following core themes:
- The role of arts, culture, heritage and screen in the context of COVID-19
- Culture, health and wellbeing
- Cultural participation
- Community, place and identity
In 2020 and 2021 our research is focusing on two themes: culture, health and wellbeing, and the impact of Covid-19.
Engaging with our research reviews
Our research reviews are shaped in consultation with practitioners, researchers and policymakers so they are as useful and relevant as possible.
There are a number of ways you can contribute to this process, including sharing your knowledge and research priorities via surveys, interactive workshops and policy round tables. This helps us to develop research review questions that we can find answers to in the literature.
Once we have drafted a research digest, it is reviewed and commented on by an expert in that area of research and practice so that our own methods can be appraised and remain as transparent as possible.
We publish reviews on our resource hub, share them in newsletters and host webinars where the findings and recommendations for future research can be discussed from a variety of perspectives. We also share any policy recommendations with relevant funders and policy makers.
Finally we review our digests annually to take into account any relevant new research, and we welcome your input at any stage if you feel we have missed any key literature.
Collaborate fund
We are investing £200,000 in our Collaborate Fund to support pioneering research collaborations between cultural sector practitioners and academic researchers to explore questions of cultural value.
We will support 15-20 research partnerships over the next four years with grants of between £5k-£20k. The fund will be launched in September 2021.