The Breadth of the Institute's Work

The work of the Institute operates at a number of different levels, reflecting local, regional, national and international agendas, including those of:

  • The European Union

  • Government, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, various Government Departments and Regional Offices

  • Research Councils (ESRC, MRC, EPSRC, AHRC and British Academy)

  • Public and private sector organisations (Local Authorities, the NHS and industry)

  • Charitable, voluntary and community bodies

Examples of work at a local level includes:

  • Practitioner research collaboration with the Manchester Learning Disability Partnership researching swallowing difficulties in adults with learning disability

  • The evaluation of the Partnership for Older People programme

  • Local evaluation of participator arts projects.

  • Well-being and urban regeneration

  • Service developments for people with long term conditions

  • Sport and physical activity as a tool for participation

Examples of Regional projects include:

  • HEFCE funded project looking at University-community engagement and urban regeneration

  • Development of research across interested stakeholders in the lives of people with learning difficulties – the North West Collaborative Learning Disability Project

  • Informal networks, participation and well-being

  • South Asian culture, food and health

Examples of National projects include:

  • Network modelling and gun crime

  • Domestic violence and minoritisation: supporting women towards independence

  • Observation based rehabilitation programme for stroke patients

  • Development of an interdisciplinary network of research on ageing and technology

Examples of International projects include:

  • Blood lead and manganese levels in childhood iron deficiency in Karachi

  • Conditions for psychoanalysis in Japan

  • A European research project investigating the relationship between housing and healthy ageing, involving five countries across Eastern and Western Europe and including survey methodology, in depth interviews and policy analysis of housing

  • A Department for International Development (DfID) funded project to implement and evaluate a model for delivering services for families with disabled children in slum areas of Kolkata, India

  • Different multi-national projects which seek to involve disabled people in developing access routes to Universities and with professionals so that they are better able to work with disadvantaged and marginalized groups

  • International study of victimisation

The breadth of expertise within the Institute enables flexible responses to priorities as they change, both internally and externally. As you can see, the Institute has a strong international focus and is committed to practitioner-based and developmental research.