Description
Katie has been one of the first academics across the Faculty to engage with SHAPE (social sciences, humanities and arts for people and the economy) commercialisation as a model for creating sustainability and reach with the impact of research. SHAPE Commercialisation is very much at a pilot stage within the sector as a whole, as well as at Plymouth (where typically we haven’t accessed institutional proof of concept funding), and Katie’s development of this approach has enabled the team across The Bridge and R&I to better understand how commercialisation in SHAPE disciplines works, and how to support and enable it. We are developing a showcase of five such projects, and this is the only example we have from the social sciences, where commercialisation is particularly early stage (compared, for example, to the arts or built environment). This work is vital to responding to UKRI agendas and investment in SHAPE commercialisation, and will be fundamental to our future institutional Impact Acceleration Account Applications to both the ESRC and AHRC, which, if successful, have a combined value of approx. £2 million. Louise Rutt, Senior Research Environment, Culture and Impact ManagerKatie’s innovative work strongly aligns with and actively advances our University 2030 Strategy, alongside the strategic objectives of our Faculty Plan and Faculty Knowledge Exchange Strategy, exemplifying exactly the kind of impact that will drive our future success. Katie has pioneered a transformative approach to commercialisation in the social sciences, challenging traditional models and creating new pathways for knowledge mobilisation. Her work demonstrates how academic expertise in the humanities and social sciences can be effectively commercialised while maintaining scholarly integrity and maximising societal impact. This innovative approach has not only proven successful in its own right but is now informing institutional thinking about SHAPE commercialisation more broadly and contributing to major funding bids including Impact Accelerator Accounts. Katie's constructive influence extends beyond her own work. Her feedback on internal funding calls has helped make commercialisation opportunities more accessible to colleagues across disciplines, fostering a more inclusive approach to work in this space. She has shown particular skill in helping colleagues understand how their expertise could be mobilised commercially, contributing to a broader cultural shift in how we think about impact and engagement. Katie is helping create sustainable pathways for knowledge mobilisation that will be vital to our future success, while ensuring academic values and societal benefit remain at the heart of this work. Her approach demonstrates exactly the kind of innovative thinking and practical impact that we need to nurture as an institution. Rupert Lorraine, Director, The Bridge
| Period | 2021 → … |
|---|---|
| Held at | Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business |
| Degree of Recognition | National |