• Eight Midlands universities, including Aston University, contributed to the report, highlights the benefits of social science research to the region
• A case study from Aston University’s Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) was included as an example
• The report reveals the vital role of universities in partnering with other higher education institutions, regional government, business and communities.

A new report by the Academy of Social Sciences, in partnership with eight Midlands universities, including Aston University, showcases the positive impact of social science research taking place in the Midlands region, for the benefit of the Midlands region and its communities.

This report comes at a time when social, economic, health, place-based, and skills and education issues are among the most pressing in regions across the UK, and when regional development is at the heart of UK government policy. It exemplifies the economic, social and civic roles of Midlands universities, and in particular that of their social science faculties, as powerhouses of ideas, research, innovation and leadership that seek to understand and help to address some of the most pressing challenges in their region.

Social sciences in the region, for the region: the Midlands highlights nine example case studies in which deeply applied and solutions-focused social science research is using innovative, collaborative and multi-disciplinary ways to bring substantial regional benefits at scale. The examples - selected by the universities - also highlight the vital role of universities in partnering with other higher education institutions, regional government, business and communities to stimulate and capitalise on opportunities for growth while responding to long standing challenges around economic growth and productivity, and on health, wellbeing and inclusivity of workers within the region.

Aston University’s case study comes from the Productivity from Below (PfB) project, based at the Centre for Research in Ethnic Minority Entrepreneurship (CREME) and led by Professor Monder Ram. The PfB project aimed to develop evidence-based, productivity-boosting interventions to support microbusinesses and promote inclusive economic growth in the region. The academic team worked with partners and local businesses to identify the challenges they faced in the retail, catering and creative sectors.

The project led to several programmes to help ethnic minority owned microbusinesses receive the support and policy recognition they need to overcome barriers to growth, increasing prosperity for the region. This included three initiatives, each worth £1m, to provide better business support, enhance productivity, and foster the development of inclusive support systems, as well as the P Word, a peer support and leadership development programme for creative businesses.

The report, and its recommendations, serve to reinforce to research funders, UK Government, regional administrations and university leaders the value of social science research in a region in enabling, facilitating and contributing to regional development, and of the important civic role of universities in the widest sense.

The case studies in the report are just a small sample of the many social science research-into-evidence and research-into-practice projects that are going on in the Midlands’ universities.

Dr Rita Gardner CBE FAcSS, chief executive of the Academy of Social Sciences, said:

“This timely report demonstrates the power and importance of collaborative university research, led by social scientists, in driving and supporting growth, productivity and wellbeing in the Midlands. It is an excellent example of the collective positive impact that social science research brings to bear in the region, for the region.”

Professor Zoe Radnor, pro vice-chancellor and executive dean of Aston University College of Business and Social Sciences co-led the project with Professor Nick Vaughan-Williams from the University of Birmingham. She said:

“Universities are anchor institutions in their region. They are both indebted to and transformative of the places in which they are located. The unique role of social science is to support that civic mission by understanding and improving how people live and experience their lives. This report demonstrates how, working in collaboration with each other and in partnership with local government, businesses, and the third sector, social scientists across the Midlands have acted as engines of change.”

‘Social sciences in the region, for the region: the Midlands’ is a joint publication between the Academy of Social Sciences and Aston University, University of Birmingham, De Montfort University, University of Leicester, Loughborough University, University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University and University of Warwick.

Download the full report at https://acss.org.uk/publications/social-sciences-in-the-region-for-the-region-the-midlands/.