The Glasgow School of Art

Leapfrog Summer School:
Effective Engagement, Capturing Value, and Evidencing Impact in Research

11^th – 13^th July 2017 | Lancaster University

Leapfrog

Leapfrog is a 3-year research project led by Imagination Lancaster at Lancaster University, in partnership with the Institute of Design Innovation at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA). Working closely with pub­lic sec­tor and com­mu­nity part­ners Leapfrog explores how we can co-design more effec­tive, inclu­sive and cre­ative tools that enable more active dialogue between citizens and the public sector. This involves working with diverse groups, from isolated communities in the highlands and islands of Scotland, to young people, to public health professionals.

The project is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council Connected Communities programme, a cross-Research Council funding initiative supporting high level collaborative and co-produced research between academic and community partners.

Summer School

The Leapfrog Team invite Early Career Researchers involved in community engagement to participate in a Summer School from the 11^th - 13^th of July 2017 at Lancaster University.

Sharing methods and insights around effective engagement, this event aims to develop ECRs’ capabilities in carrying out research with communities, and stimulate discussion and debate around how we capture the value and evidence the academic and societal impact of these approaches. Featuring a keynote from Professor Rachel Cooper OBE, Distinguished Professor of Design Management and Policy at Lancaster University, delegates will take part in a series of paper presentations, discussions, and creative workshops to enrich their understandings and applications of community engagement in a wide range of research contexts. 

Areas for discussion will include, but are not restricted to:

• Participation and co-production with communities
• Methods and tools for community engagement
• Engaging with diverse and minority communities
• Approaches for capturing the value of effective community engagement
• The challenges of evidencing impact of effective community engagement

This program of activities will offer an inspirational and supportive space to exchange insights on broader aspects of research and career development, including approaches to generating research questions, writing research bids, and engagement with diverse public audiences both for research and sharing ideas.