Public benefit, cultural & economic impact & growth prospects of heritage science research: Creating a Heritage Science Innovation Systems Framework

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

"Heritage science" refers to the "fascinating, rich and diverse range of scientific challenges" associated with conserving movable and immovable heritage. Its significance should not be underestimated. Heritage, through tourism, makes a substantial contribution to the economy (£7.4 billion a year), and the sustainability of that contribution depends on heritage science. In November 2006, we published a report entitled Science and Heritage in which we acknowledged that the UK had a high reputation in the field of heritage science but warned that UK standing was "under threat" and that the heritage science sector was "fragmented and under-valued". (House of Lords Science and Technology Committee (2012). Science and Heritage: A follow-up. London: HMSO p4)In 2007, on the recommendations of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) launched the Science and Heritage Programme to fund research activities to deepen understanding and widen participation in heritage science. During the following 7 years, this £8.1 million multi-disciplinary, collaborative Programme has funded 48 projects involving more than 300 researchers, 234 institutions and 50 industry partners both in the UK and overseas.The purpose of this Impact Fellowship proposal is to strengthen the dissemination of research activities supported by the Science and Heritage Programme, with a particular focus on developing the relationship between heritage science researchers and industry in order to promote heritage science innovation and to inform policymakers of the value of heritage science to culture and the economy.For heritage science researchers to fully contribute to public benefit and economic growth a shift in attitude by both researchers and industry has to take place to create stronger strategic links and to exploit opportunities which anecdotal evidence suggests there are industry sectors that could benefit from heritage science research and innovation. Currently, the heritage tourism industry is the best understood industry utilising heritage science research and this will be considered alongside other business sectors such as construction and property development; creative media; insurance; forensics and security and sensors and instrumentation.Through a series of workshops, face-to-face interviews and data collection and analysis, the Fellowship will identify the benefits, impacts and growth opportunities produced by heritage science research and innovation, along with the research projects that have contributed wider benefits to policy, industry and the heritage sector and the industry sectors that utilise, or could utilise heritage science research. By examining industry needs, the skills and training required by future heritage scientists to engage with industry can be identified and evidence can be provided to produce recommendations on how policy could support the development of an innovation systems framework for heritage science. This will in turn be used to promote an innovation culture among researchers and industry willing to explore the business potential of research outputs. The research will be underpinned by a number of leadership development activities including publishing commissioned articles for Research Fortnight and Research Professional.Key outputs from the research will be published on the Science and Heritage Programme website and will include: a database of projects that demonstrate the benefits and impacts of heritage science research; a case study on skills training for heritage scientists and recommendations on how policy could support the development of an innovation systems framework for heritage science.