Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/R005443/1
Scientific evidence synthesis and policy implementation for environmental sciences
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor E Kulinskaya, University of East Anglia, Computing Sciences
- Grant held at:
- University of East Anglia, Computing Sciences
- Science Area:
- Earth
- Freshwater
- Marine
- Terrestrial
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Biodiversity
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Climate & Climate Change
- Conservation Ecology
- Ecosystem Scale Processes
- Statistics & Appl. Probability
- Applied Statistics
- Environmental Statistics
- Statistical Ecology
- Pollution
- Abstract:
- The proposed training initiative targets two important gaps in evidence synthesis training available to early career environmental scientists in the UK: (1) the lack of training in statistical aspects of research synthesis (meta-analysis) which often leads to poor quality reviews, and (2) insufficient stakeholder engagement during review preparation, which reduces the usefulness of produced synthesis for policy making and management. To address these gaps, the proposed training will consist of two elements: a 5-day training course on evidence synthesis and policy implementation for environmental sciences with specific focus on meta-analysis and policy relevance, and 2-week placements in stakeholder organisations (Cefas, Natural England and Forestry Commission). The training course will be based on the successful course 'Systematic review and meta-analysis for environmental sciences', which has been funded 4 times by NERC ATSC scheme, and delivered at RHUL and UEA in 2015-2017. To the best of our knowledge, this is the only course available to early career environmental scientists in the UK which includes training in meta-analysis in addition to systematic review training. The course will involve combination of lectures and practicals where students will be trained in systematic review and metaanalysis methodology, conducting meta-analysis in R, and translating evidence into policy. Stakeholder organisations will be fully integrated into the development and delivery of the proposed training through (1) teaching a course module on translating scientific evidence into policy (Cefas), (2) identifying priority topics for evidence synthesis used for training during the course as well as form the basis for placements, and (3) providing 2-week placements within their organisations with the aim of conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the identified priority topics which will be relevant to current policy development in areas of climate change, marine monitoring, noise, fisheries, forestry, biodiversity conservation, pollution and land use. The proposed combination of short training course and placements at the stakeholder organisations will allow this training initiative to meet all the training needs within the evidence synthesis area identified by the NERC Training Advisory Board, i.e. to provide skills in statistics and data management, application of different synthesis methodologies, policy research, evidence synthesis, mapping and meta-analysis.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/R005443/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Evidence Synthesis
This training grant award has a total value of £58,264
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs |
|---|
| £58,264 |
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