Engaged Research – a joined-up approach to tackling the big issues

The work of DCU Lecturer Dr Padraig Murphy and the Celsius Research Group at DCU has been included in a new report Engaged Research - Society & Higher Education Working Together to Address Grand Societal Challenges” launched Friday, January 13th at the Mansion House by the Chair of the Irish Universities Association Professor Philip Nolan. It is one of five research projects led by DCU academics, including Dr Liam MacGabhann, School of Nursing and Human Sciences and Dr Trudy Corrigan, School of Education Studies.

Engaged Research was produced by Campus Engage with the support of the Irish Research Council. The report provides a stakeholder-informed and action oriented framework for engagement between civic and civil society, industry and professionals in research at higher education institutions; ensuring high quality and impactful research.

It provides a series of recommendations for higher education institution leaders, research funding organisations, and policy-making bodies to promote excellence in engaged research and to make Ireland the benchmark for collaboration on international engaged research initiatives.

“The Framework provided in this Report on how to deliver engaged research is the first of its kind, and completely unique. It is informed by the public and researchers, for the public and researchers! It is directly responding to our national and EU Government policy to make higher education outputs more responsible to the public and agile to societal demands”. Prof Ray O’Neill, Campus Engage Chair

The Irish Research Council, through a number of specific funding actions, strongly promotes engagement as part of the research process. As a result, researchers in Universities and IoTs are now making more explicit the connections between their research and its capacity to generate new products, processes, services to address societal challenges, and impact issues of public concern.

“Engaged research, based on proven good practice, is truly a ‘win-win’ for all stakeholders. It is no longer acceptable for research participants to be seen simply as research subjects – participants have much to contribute to shaping the right research questions and methodologies, and assisting in the analysis and interpretation of results,” said Eucharia Meehan, Director, Irish Research Council.

The DCU project, Irish GM Potato Community of Inquiry Project aimed to address the societal challenge of food for all. It was lead by Dr Murphy and funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. It partnered with Teagasc and Carlow Citizens.

It ran alongside a major Teagasc project in collaboration with an EC consortium, AMIGA to trial a variety of potato called Desiree which was genetically-modified (GM) to be blight–resistant.

The Celsius research group at DCU was awarded funding from the EPA to run a citizens jury in the town of Carlow, near the site of the potato trials. The objective of the jury event, which at the time had the working title #gmpotato Community of Inquiry, was to allow Carlow citizens to have a say on GM potato trials nearby and the introduction of GM food more generally to Ireland, and to input this back to technology policy.

Oher examples of Engaged Research projects, including DCU led research projects are:

Project Lead: Dr Liam MacGabhann Title: Mental Health Leadership Programme; Institution Dublin City University, School of Nursing and Human Sciences in partnership with HSE Mental Health Services. This research project aims to bring service users, carer/family members and service providers together to learn about cooperative approaches to implementing change in healthcare organisations and lead a service improvement in thier local mental health service. 

Project Lead: Dr Liam MacGabhann, Martha Griffin, Mary Farrelly Title: Dublin North, North East Recovery College. Institution: Dublin City University School of Nursing and Human Sciences (in partnership with HSE Mental Health Services and Dundalk Institute of Technology). The Recovery College provides educational courses, resources and creative spaces to anyone that wishes to learn about mental health recovery. The College takes an empowering and inclusive educational approach, aiming to create a culture of mental health recovery in the community. 

Project Lead: Dr Liam MacGabhann and Paddy Gowan; Project Title: Mental Health Trialogue Network Ireland; Dublin City University School of Nursing and Human Sciences; The Mental Health Trialogue Network Ireland (MHTNI) is a community development, mental health initiative. The aim of this Network is to empower Irish communities to become proactive in communicating about mental health through a powerful open dialogue and participatory process called Trialogue. 

Project Lead: Emma Murphy and Dr Trudy Corrigan; Project Title: Project iTELL (Inclusive Technology to enhance Lifelong Learning) in partnership with ILP (Intergenerational Learning Programme) in DCU. For this project, researchers interviewed tutors and older students in the intergenerational Learning Programme in DCU to identify potential barriers to learning later in life. In addition, they arrived at strategies to overcome barriers, through the use of inclusive technology. 

Grand Societal Challenge: Engaging Citizens in the political process

Political Project Title: Including citizens in discussions over constitutional reform

Lead Institution: UCD School of Politics and International Relations

Project Lead: Professor David Farrell

Civil society organisation/Partners: The Irish Constitutional Convention (ICC) Project Description:

This project successfully established the state’s first ever citizen’s forum, to bring citizens into the heart of debates over constitutional reforms to improve how our representative system of democracy operates. The genesis of this project was Ireland’s 2008/2009 financial and economic meltdown and the resulting anger over failings in our political system. A group of political scientists proposed that citizens should be brought into the heart of debates over constitutional reforms to improve how our representative system of democracy operates. ‘We the Citizens, was established whose year-long activity of work culminated in Ireland’s first national citizens’ assembly in June 2011. The data analysis underlying the assembly was presented to government, which some months later established the Irish Constitutional Convention (ICC).

The Irish Constitutional Convention (ICC) operated over a 14- month period following deliberate practice. Its 100 members comprised 66 citizens selected by an opinion poll agency, 33 politicians from the Oireachtas and the Northern Ireland Assembly and an independent chair appointed by the government.

The groups were asked to consider a series of key questions including; 1. Whether to reduce the Irish President’s term of office from seven to five years; 2. Whether to reduce the voting age to 17; 3. A review of the Dáil electoral system; 4. Voting rights for the Irish diaspora in presidential elections; 5. Marriage equality; Impact occurred in a number of ways, of which the most significant included the successful passage of the marriage equality referendum in summer 2015. It is unlikely the referendum would have been called but for the vital role played by the ICC in ‘encouraging’ a socially conservative Taoiseach to call it. It is also generally acknowledged that the ICC ‘took the politics out of the debate’ due to the manner in which representatives of all parties were included in the membership. Furthermore, our analysis of survey data gathered after the referendum vote indicates that knowledge of the ICC was a factor in influencing the Yes vote. The Citizens Assembly, chaired by Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, is currently considering the issue of abortion in Ireland and the campaign to repeal the 8th amendment.

Grand Societal Challenge: Protecting our environment

Project Title: ZECOS (Zero CO2e Emission Certification System)

Lead Institution: University of Limerick

Project Lead: Dr. Bernadette O’Regan

Civil society organisation/Partners: MosArt Environmental Design Agency, Ireland; European Academy of Renewable Energy, UK Project Description: This is an EU project involving a group of academic, public and private partners. They are working together to create a model for a certification system designed to assist communities in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and towards the ultimate goal of zero emissions. It aims to quantify financial savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions resulting from communities’ active participation in sustainable development, especially in relation to energy production and consumption, and to create an EU-wide standard and accreditation system for communities engaged in greenhouse gas emission reduction. The use of more locally produced energy reduces dependence on imports, boosts economic growth, and creates jobs. For the EU to meet its commitments on GHG emission reduction and to reach the goal of transforming Europe into a low carbon competitive economy, it is vital that all communities should plan for GHG emission reductions. Communities are where people live and work, they own or manage the resources, land and built environment where significant progress can be made. Communities can face many barriers and a system that encourages community level actions is necessary. ZECOS aims to break down these barriers through providing guidance and information on technology and management options, on financing, and to encourage citizen involvement and improving social and economic development within communities. From experience gained in developing the system, the project partners advised policy making at local, national and EU levels to support communities in reducing GHG emissions.

Grand Societal Challenge: Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Young People

Project Title: Development of Interventions for Young Adults Living With Type 1 Diabetes

Lead Institution: NUI Galway

Project Lead: Professor Seán F Dinneen Funded by: Health Research Board

Civil society organisation/Partners: Galway University Hospital, Jigsaw, Galway and a Young Adult Panel Project Description:

This research study aims to engage young adults living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) through the formation of a service‐user panel who actively contribute to the development of an intervention to improve outcomes for this target population. It is a collaboration between healthcare providers from Galway University Hospitals, researchers from NUI Galway, experts in youth engagement from Jigsaw, Galway and members of our Young Adult Panel. The research team believe that the community‐engagement aspect of their research has made and will continue to make all the difference in achieving their aim to improve the health and wellbeing of young adults living with T1D in Ireland.