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Last updated: 23 November 2008
The Office of the third sector has appointed Birmingham University to lead a new Third Sector Research Centre dedicated to analysing the impact of the sector's activities. Working in partnership with the University of Southampton, the centre aims to bring about a step change in the quality and quantity of hard evidence available to support the work of third sector organisations.
It is funded by the Office of the Third Sector (OTS), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Barrow Cadbury Trust.
The Centre will receive an investment of £10.25 million to create a world class research capacity for charities, social enterprises and small community organisations. It will:
Supporting the work of the Third Sector Research Centre will be two capacity building clusters (CBCs), based at the University of Middlesex and the University of Lincoln, with the CBC in Middlesex focusing specifically on social enterprises.
The CBCs will provide both the next generation of high quality researchers and be a resource for the sector. They will develop activities such as studentships, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Third Sector placements and an innovative voucher scheme designed to allow Third Sector organisations to “buy in” academic expertise.
Focusing on key issues such as the sector's scale, dynamics and effectiveness, the Centre will be led by Professor Pete Alcock of the University of Birmingham.