ARCISS Workshop ‘SURVIVE OR PROSPER’

A Workshop on Directing Research Centres, Led by Professor Robert Lindley, University of Warwick, Tuesday 26th July 2011 10.00 – 15.30, Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London, W1B 1AD

University research centres have their own ecology and demography, to a degree separate from the development of their host institutions and aware of the existence of counterparts in the independent non-profit and commercial sectors. This Workshop explored key issues relevant to creating, sustaining and, ultimately, making a research centre prosper. It was intended especially for those who direct such centres or who are experienced researchers who may become directors in the future, or senior administrators of centres. It is also of potential interest to those with corresponding roles in other types of centre in the independent sector or those who manage large collaborative social science networks or projects.

The Workshop was a highly concentrated and interactive exercise which drew on the experiences of participants. Introductory presentations were followed by the opportunity to participate in groups dealing with such topics as:

• Relations with the host institution
• Cross-subsidising areas of work
• Financial conditions
• Staff development in uncertain demand conditions
• Collaboration with other organisations
• Commissioning environments
• Ensuring quality of research work
• The evolving scope of your research centre
• Strategy development – process and outcome
• Sustaining your own research work
• Implications of multi-disciplinary strategies

The Workshop will be led by Professor Robert Lindley, Director of the Warwick Institute for Employment Research and facilitated by Peter Woodward of Quest Associates.

Robert Lindley is the founding Director of the Institute for Employment Research, University of Warwick and a professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences. His principal fields of research are the labour market; the roles of education, training and knowledge production in economic development; and European integration. He also has a special interest in the role played by social science evidence in the policy system. He has served on many UK and EU advisory and related bodies. These include rapporteur to the EU Competitiveness Advisory Group appointed by the Commission President, joint chair of the EU Round Tables on the Social Dialogue, advisor to the Portuguese Presidency of the EU during the development of the ‘Lisbon Strategy’, and consultant to the Commission on the evaluation of the National Action Plans.

Professor Lindley has been PVC for International Affairs and Chair of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Warwick. He is a past chair of the UK Association of Research Centres in the Social Sciences. He was also a member of the Research Careers Committee, chaired by Sir Gareth Roberts and set up by the Research Base Funders’ Forum. He is currently a member of the Strategic Forum for the Social Sciences, hosted by the British Academy.

Peter Woodward is a Director of Quest Associates Limited. The West Midlands-based consultancy helps clients achieve outcomes through the design and facilitation of effective participatory processes. He works with national and local government, government agencies as well as the corporate, NGO and community sectors. Commissions include strategy and organisational development, problem solving, evaluations and partnership working. Peter is one of the small number of specialist facilitators operating in the UK who have certified status from the International Association of Facilitators. Peter trained initially as an urban and regional planner and is a member of the Royal Town Planning institute.

Professor Lindley would like to acknowledge the contribution of ‘Managing Research Projects: Supporting Researchers in Collaborative Project Management’, conducted at the University of Warwick and funded under the ESRC’s Researcher Development Initiative (www.rdi.ac.uk).

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