The SWDTP has a broad interpretation of collaboration, and of its importance to research. Established jointly by the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and UWE and funded by the ESRC, the SWDTP in itself is representative of our commitment to collaborative working models, and the Partnership will be developing its own collaborative working practice with external partners as a core part of our strategy.
Collaboration changes its meaning according to context and partner; from the research perspective it can mean working with a wide variety of organisations and individuals from private, public and civic sectors. Forms of collaboration may vary from an entirely co-organised and co-produced project, to a workshop, design of a specific data-gathering exercise, participation in a policy review, conference, placement or internship.
Through collaboration we are committed to building not just opportunities for knowledge exchange and sharing of best practice, but developing critical mass in key research areas and encouraging a collaborative mindset within our scholars.
Our collaboration work currently has four main priority areas. These are:
