NCRM Networks for Methodological Innovation
These are commissioned and co-ordinated by the Hub with the aim of stimulating discussion on new methodological challenges and reviewing developments within specific methodological fields. They consist of a series of network-based events and related activities over a period of up to one year and will normally be of two kinds:
- Catalyzing activities: stimulating research and promoting debate on new methodological challenges among academic researchers, users and research funding bodies
- synthesising activities: reviewing research in a specific methodological field, or identifying commonalities between research in different methodological fields.
The Centre will fund two series of events per year with a maximum budget of £24,000 per network.
Each series of events will involve a core group of researchers with a specific interest in the area, these will be network-based as opposed to institutionally based. Teams should also include international visitors, thus facilitating networking between UK social scientists and their counterpart communities overseas, and raising the profile of UK social science methodology among the international research community.
The series of events might include any or all of the following:
- small expert workshops between network members designed to facilitate intensive interaction;
- opening and closing meetings open to wider audiences;
- visits by junior researchers to other network members and their international visitors;
- specialist ICT for a for exchange of information between network members;
- related training events, including both those targeted at network members and those targeted at wider audiences as part of a network's dissemination strategy.
In line with the Centre's broader remit, networks for methodological innovation will contribute to the envisaged step change in the quality and range of methodological skills and techniques used by the UK social science community. They will be orientated towards stimulating new ideas and improving understanding of methods and of the connections between methods and disciplines.