Campus Engage

Campus Engage is a platform for the promotion of civic engagement activities in Irish higher education and is based at the Irish University Association (IUA). Campus Engage was recently awarded funding by Higher Education Authority (HEA) to drive activities to support a range of higher education community engagement practices to 2015. 

CARL has been invited to convene a working group on Community Based Learning (CBL) and Community Based Research (CBR) as part of a greater Campus Engage initiative which seeks to develop materials, opportunities and resources to support civic engagement across Higher Education in Ireland.  

As a civic engagement platform, Campus Engage is open to all higher education institutions in Ireland, and aims to strengthen the relationship between higher education and the wider society, through the promotion of civic engagement activities in higher education and facilitating the sharing of knowledge and resources between academic and civic communities.

This falls within the broader objectives of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030.

A new Campus Engage Action Plan has been agreed, and funding secured for the period 2013 -2015. This will support the on-going development of activities such as: service learning / community based learning, student volunteering, community engaged research and knowledge exchange and sharing, in order to increase the number of courses, activities and levels of participation in these areas across Irish higher education.

Useful links: 

• Campus Engage Website
• Irish University Association Website
• Campus Engage Framework for Engaged Research
• National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030
• UCC Signs Campus Engage Charter on Civic and Community Engagement

Living Knowledge

Living Knowledge is the International Science Shop network which provides links between ‘Science Shop’-like initiatives as well as supporting the development of new local or regional initiatives that offer citizens opportunities to contribute to the Science and Society debate. The aim of the network is to facilitate exchanges of information and expertise between the European Science Shops and the knowledge generated is geared towards addressing the needs of the broader society. 

CARL is a member of the Living Knowledge network and contributes to the Living Knowledge newsletter as well as to its biennial conference. 

Useful Links: 

• Living Knowledge Network 

Public Engagement with Research and Research Engagement

Community-Academic Research Links (CARL) is one of 26 partner institutions involved in the Public Engagement with Research and Research Engagement with Society (PERARES) project. With a budget of close to €3 million, PERARES sets the ambitious target of delivering 15 work packages over 48 months and will involve 180 participants from 15 consortia. 

The PERARES project aims to strengthen interactions between researchers, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and citizens in Europe. The project partners will organise transnational and national debates on issues relating to scientific research and help participants to articulate research questions to be placed on the agendas of partnering research bodies. PERARES will particularly focus on three research themes i.e. nanotechnology, domestic violence and Roma/Traveller’s issues.

The project brings together numerous institutions ranging from Queen’s University in Belfast and the University of Cambridge, to the Swedish Research Council, and civil society organisations such as the Foundation for the Development of an Active Citizen Research ADReCA in France. UCC Science Shop is participating in six of the 15 work packages and is tasked to deliver a range of activities including setting up a transnational knowledge debate, researching local human rights, supporting the development of science shops in other Higher Educational Institutions, assisting with convening two international conferences and the dissemination of research findings and progress on work packages. This research project will run from June 2010 - mid 2014. 

Useful Links

• PERARES project website 
• Martin, E. and McKenna, E. (2013) Sustainability for Science Shops: A practical guide to developing policy and practice. PERARES Report: Brussels.

INCERL

The Irish Network for Community-Engaged Research and Learning (INCERL) network is an inter-institutional All-Ireland initiative involved in coordinating, supporting and developing community based learning and research activities in Higher Education. The network plays a supportive role for individuals and groups working in coordination and development roles relating to Community Based Research (CBR) and Community Based Learning (CBL).

CARL is a founding member of INCERL and is joined by seven other members including Dublin Institute of Technology, IT Blanchardstown, IT Tralee, NUI Galway, Queen’s University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin and University of Ulster.

The goal of the network is to provide mutual support to staff who encourage and support lecturers, students and community partners to collaborate on course-based, credit-bearing projects for mutual benefit. To date, the focus has been on sharing resources and experiences in the areas of policy, practice, and research/scholarship.