About CHASE

As an AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE) brings together researchers from eight universities (the Universities of Kent, Essex, Sussex and East Anglia; Birkbeck, University of London; SOAS, University of London, and the Courtauld Institute of Art) to fund and facilitate doctoral training.

CHASE is committed to fostering a collaborative research environment and creating innovative training opportunities for researchers that encourage partnerships across organisations, academic disciplines and geographical distances. Since it was established in 2014, CHASE has stimulated connections between doctoral researchers, academic staff and external stakeholders through conferences, workshops, placements and collaborative doctoral awards.

CHASE is pleased to expand these partnerships through our Knowledge Exchange Hub.

About the Knowledge Exchange Hub (KEH)

CHASE KEH is a resource for CHASE researchers, supervisors, and non-higher education organisations (non-HEOs) with an interest in the arts and humanities. It offers practical advice and guidance on all aspects of knowledge exchange, including how to approach external partners, how to design a project, and how to obtain funding for collaborative activities and/or training.

What is knowledge exchange?

Simply put, knowledge exchange includes any activity that involves/facilitates sharing ideas between academic/higher education (HE) settings and outside organisations – these being any organisation that is not specifically considered a HE organisation.

Knowledge exchange at CHASE can take many forms but functions primarily through placements, Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs), and our Alumni network:

1. We provide placements, where doctoral researchers partner with an external organisation between 1-6 months. Doctoral researchers can also use the placement scheme to set up their own business or organisation.

2. We facilitate Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs), which are doctoral studentship projects developed by a university-based academic in collaboration with an organisation outside of higher education.

3. We are developing our alumni network, as part of which prior CHASE researchers can mentor current students, host placements, participate in CHASE events, and continue to work with and bring expertise to CHASE networks.

What are the benefits of knowledge exchange?

Sharing ideas leads to innovation. Knowledge exchange provides the opportunity to work with people whose approach may differ from your own; whether this be methodological, professional, logistic, etc.

For researchers, this may involve gaining valuable professional development/skills from industry, or enlisting specialist outside expertise to assist you with a research problem.

For non-HEOs, collaborating with researchers is an opportunity to gain insight into unique research methodologies/approaches that can facilitate problem solving, or offer a new perspective on your business model.

By sharing academic research outside a HE setting, research findings have a greater impact on the community/society. Knowledge exchange can also positively impact teaching activities in HE institutions by offering undergraduate students opportunities to utilise skills and resourses from outside organisations.

What support does KEH offer?

The possibilities are practically limitless…

CHASE can support any activities that facilitate/encourage collaboration between CHASE researchers and external organisations.

This may include (but is not limited to):

• Funding collaborative commercial/development activities between CHASE affiliated scholars/staff and outside organisations

• Funding and organising collaborative research (including Collaborative Doctoral Awards)

• Facilitating meetings and networking opportunities between CHASE affiliated students, staff and outside organisations

• Organising training to provide the skills necessary to undertake collaborative research/projects

• Offering funded placements with non-HEOs

Who does KEH support?

Organisations:

KEH can provide support for any outside organisation with an interest in collaborating with a CHASE institution!

Outside organisations may include but are not limited to:

• Businesses

• Archives

• Nonprofit Organisations

• Museums

• Creative Industries

We can offer funding and guidance for almost any knowledge exchange activity involving a non-HEO and a CHASE researcher and/or academic. This might include providing funding to host a doctoral researcher at your institution, offering advice on how to develop a collaborative project with a CHASE university, or facilitating workshops and training to enable co-creation.

See our Knowledge Exchange in Practice page for case studies of some of the activities we have supported to date; see examples of institutions we have worked with, or visit our organisations page for more information about the kinds of assistance we can offer.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? We’re happy to discuss any and all potential knowledge exchange activities. Send us an email or fill out our enquiry form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Doctoral Researchers:

KEH offers guidance and support for CHASE doctoral researchers who are interested in undertaking knowledge exchange activities with a non-higher education organisation, including funding for placements, training, workshops, and conferences.

We also offer information about upcoming doctoral funding in the form of Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs).

We are currently developing an Alumni Network, which will offer support and networking opportunities to doctoral researchers at CHASE institutions. Please keep an eye on our alumni network page for updates or fill out our dedicated alumni enquiry form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

NB: The CHASE placement scheme is currently restricted to CHASE funded doctoral researchers and, in a more limited way, to non-CHASE funded doctoral researchers at CHASE institutions. If you are a doctoral researcher at a CHASE institution and are interested in undertaking a placement, but do not have a CHASE funding, please email us for information about potential support.

Academic Staff:

KEH offers funding and support for university-based academics to design Collaborative Doctoral Awards (CDAs) with partner organisations. It also offers guidance on supervising doctoral researchers, including what benefits knowledge exchange offers CHASE researchers and supervisors. Please see our dedicated Placements for Academic Supervisors and Placements: A ‘How To’ Guide for Supervisors pages for more information on how supervising doctoral researchers.

Interested in working with a non-higher education organisation? Have an idea for a collaborative project that will benefit from academic expertise? Or keen to expand your professional network and develop new skills?

CHASE can help!

Find out more using the links below, or email the KEH team:

training@chase.ac.uk - General Enquiries

keh@chase.ac.uk - General Enquiries