Disability Research Edinburgh Academic Networking Grant

Disability Research Edinburgh is an established network, with links across several Schools within the University and with other academics and organisations beyond Edinburgh. The network was awarded an Academic Networking Grant to develop the existing network of researchers on disability issues within the University of Edinburgh, to improve its profile within the University and further expand its scope outwith the University.

We used a grant from the Institute for Academic Development to develop a network of disability researchers across the University of Edinburgh and to make links with disabled people and organisations in the local community.

Our main project was to set up a website to provide a focal point for communication with and between members of the group. We were able to employ a research assistant to establish the web page, seek content from members and develop a Twitter account. Having dedicated staff time to this has enabled us to set up the website, now hosted within the School of Social and Political Science web pages
We held a very successful launch event which attracted publicity from across the University and beyond. This event made helpful links between University researchers and local disabled people’s organisations. We held an internal networking event for University staff and PhD students. This enabled a more focussed discussion of areas of joint research interest.
These events demonstrated a real enthusiasm for cross-disciplinary and external research relationships. They enabled people to meet who had not met before and to discover areas of mutual interest.