Research and Innovation Services was set up in 1998 to provide research for services in the voluntary and community sectors, and to provide consultancy support to ICT based initiatives.
RIS can help clients with the following:
Strategic and creative development
Research, analysis and problem solving
Report writing and presentation
Project planning and development
Workshop and conference planning and delivery
Service evaluation.
RIS can bring in knowledge of:
Community development
Community networks
Consultation and engagement
Public and private sector interfaces
RIS project history includes:
RIS can help clients with the following:
Strategic and creative development
Research, analysis and problem solving
Report writing and presentation
Project planning and development
Workshop and conference planning and delivery
Service evaluation.
RIS can bring in knowledge of:
Community development
Community networks
Consultation and engagement
Public and private sector interfaces
RIS project history includes:
- Support to the SMILEY research project for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
- A review of museum services for children looked after for Renaissance East of England working with Local Level.
- Support to street reps in the Shipley area and establishment of a new web site.
- A review of stakeholder perceptions for Watford CVS.
- Public consultation for Metropolitan Borough of Bradford Libraries.
- Workshops on neighbourliness as part of research work for Age Concern England.
- A paper on 'Why neighbourliness matters' at a seminar at Northumbria University on behalf of the North East Social Capital Forum.
- A review of Community Services for Swindon Borough Council, working with Local Level.
- A review of stakeholder perceptions of the Community Development Foundation.
- Public consultation for Bradford Libraries Archives and Information Service, working with Local Level.
- Interviewing for an assessment of the Community Development Foundation and its contribution to advisory groups on behalf of Local Level.
- Evaluation of a pilot ICT in the home initiative of South Kilburn New Deal for Communities.
- Research, writing and project development for the Community Development Foundation on behalf of Museums Libraries and Archives Council on public libraries and community cohesion. The report is available here.
- A review of a 'Healthy IT Project' for Eden CVS.
- Project development consultancy to the Department for Education and Skills (now DfE) for the Capital Modernisation Fund Wired up Communities (WuC) programme.
- Service analysis and mentoring support of Wireless Outreach Network projects for Direct Support.
- Research contribution to the work done by Hall Aitken Associates for its evaluation of the CMF funded UK Online centres programme. The report is available here.
- Development work for the Scottish Executive and its digital communities programme. Two pilot projects in Belsmyre, West Dunbarton and in Argyll and Bute north islands were established.
- Working in an advisory capacity with the Suffolk Online project.
- Research for and development of a web based resource guide on behalf of the Community Services Group of the Library Association, covering social exclusion issues for public libraries.
- Research contribution to the work done by Hall Aitken Associates for its evaluation of pathfinder UK Online centres.
- Research assessment and management support of pioneer ICT learning centres (now UK Online centres) developed on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment (now DfE) in conjunction with the Community Development Foundation.
- Research and advice on community ICTs to Policy Action Team 15, for the government's neighbourhood renewal strategy Bringing Britain Together.
- Research into rural poverty issues for Hertfordshire partnership.
- Research and compilation of data on behalf of the Community Development Foundation for the CommunityWISE database service.