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Communications strategy template

Before completing this form please see the Communications Strategysection of the ESRC's Communication Toolkit. The Step by Step guidewithin this section should be used for reference. The guide covers allthe elements necessary for pulling together your strategy such assetting ob!ectives" agreeing principles" developing messages andbranding" prioritising audiences" choosing channels" planning activities"estimating time" estimating budget" evaluating success

1. Objectives of the research programme/centre# very a short summary$statement of the programme$centre.

%ou do not need to restate the full ob!ectives of the research itself. &t is important toremember that we are already aware of these. This should be the publicity 'pitch' for theresearch concise" clear" engaging and user friendly.

The Spatial Economics Research Centre (SERC) aims to provide high*uality independent research to further understanding as to why someregions" cities and communities prosper" whilst others don+t. Research willfocus on why there are disparities in economic prosperity at all spatiallevels including regional" city,region" local and neighbourhood.

#dditionally" SERC aims to in-uence and improve policy decision,making atthe national and sub,national levels" connecting / policy makers withinternational e0pertise" evidence and good practice in understanding and

tackling such di1erences.

2. Communications objectives, principles and key messages

# clear detailed statement of the ob!ectives in communicating" the principlesunderpinning this strategy and your key messages. These should be aligned with theob!ectives of the programme$centre.

SERC aims to produce academically rigorous research that advances the2eld of spatial economics. To achieve this it will need to communicate witha range of stakeholders to

Connect with state of the art research

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&dentify emerging research areas

3rovide critical feedback to help improve our research

4isseminate our research methodologies and 2ndings

SERC aims to in-uence and improve policy decision,making at the national

and sub,national levels. To achieve this ob!ective we need tocommunicate with a range of stakeholders to

5elp develop our research programme to address emerging policy

needs

Ensure that our research 2ndings are transferred to" andunderstood by" the appropriate audiences

6acilitate access to e0isting policy relevant research

Raise our pro2le as a provider of policy advice and evidence that

meets the highest academic standards of rigour andindependence.

&n achieving these communication ob!ectives we will be guided by theprinciples that we should

Be open to the ideas and suggestions of others and to di1erent

and potentially con-icting interpretations of our research 2ndings

Sub!ect our ideas and 2ndings to the criticism of others" early and

often in their development.

7henever possible" sub!ect our work to independent peer review.

Translate research 2ndings to provide accessible" high *uality"

useable evidence for policy makers

8nly communicate research 2ndings (whether our own or the

work of others) that meet appropriate academic standards ofrigour and independence

Ensure that when research does not give a clear cut answer to a

*uestion" we do not pretend to be able to provide a clear cutanswer to the *uestion.

/ey messages

Spatial disparities occur bothbecause people are di1erent and

because places are di1erent.

Some spatial di1erences are bad" but some are good. 3olicy

should seek to address the former" but not the latter. 3roviding a rigorous understanding of the precise nature" e0tent"

causes and conse*uences of these disparities is key to identifyingthe appropriate policy responses.

8ther key messages to emerge as the research centre develops.

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. !ey "udiences7ho are you communicating with a detailed description of your key audience and usergroups.7hat are yourpriorities9 &nclude what they already may know about you people" research" sub!ect7hat do you think they should know9 #nd do break down the users into sub categoriesand add contacts already made.

&n addition to the funders" stakeholders include institutions of governmentand governance" 2rms and business associations" trades unions" thevoluntary and community sectors and the wider academic community.

The Centre cannot hope to directly engage with such a diverse range ofstakeholders. To help prioritise" we have undertaken a stakeholdermapping e0ercise involving the director of SERC as well as representativesfrom BERR and C:;. This e0ercise involved (i) identifying relevantstakeholders< (ii) assessing their degree of interest in the centre< (iii)assessing their importance to the centre both as a consumer of our

research and as potential future funders of research (their =in-uence>)< (iv)considering how we would like to change their interest or in-uence as theCentre develops. The results from this e0ercise are reported in appendi0#. The diagram illustrates the current (at launch date) interest thatstakeholders are likely to have in SERC activities and outputs (hori?ontala0is) and their degree of in-uence on Centre activities (vertical a0is).#cronyms are e0plained in the table that follows the diagram. #rrows showthe pro!ected change in interest and in-uence that the Centre hopes toachieve through the Communications plan and stakeholder engagementactivities.

8n the basis of this mapping e0ercise" we have focussed on consultingwith speci2c stakeholders about the work of the centre. This has involvedmeetings with the following stakeholders

BERR

6our themed meetings@ Skills Ard #pril A.,D.A@ ;lobalisation th #pril F.,G.A@ Entrepreneurship and &nnovation th #pril .A,H.@ Cross cutting issues HIth #pril F.,G.A

CLG

Research programme consultation meeting Dth June

Other government departments

4E6R# (Kictoria Co0< HthJune)

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473 (Simon 7ood< DthJune)5LT :ocal ;overnment (Caroline Jack and Su?y /antor< HHnd6eb)5LT Meighbourhood Renewal" 3ublic Space and rban 3olicy Branch(Rachel Radice" James 3aton" ;areth #rthur< NthLarch)

Devolved Administrations

7#; Economic Research #dvisory 3anel (;areth Lorgan< Nth6eb)Scottish ;overnment (;ary ;illespie" 4ominic Lunro and colleagues< Gth6eb)Morthern &reland (Bobby Clulow" Economic 3olicy nit< DthLay)

Local government, regeneration and planning

Royal Town and 3lanning &nstitute (Jenny Crawford< Hnd #pril):ocal ;overnment #ssociation (Tim #llen< st Lay)

RDAs and other regional stakeholders

:4# (;:# economics< three meetings< AstLarch" HthLay" thJune)EE4# (;lenn #thley< HIthLay)SE4# (&van 3erkovic< GthLay)EL4#$#7L (7ill Rossiter and 3hilip #mison< th#pril)S7R4# (Shane Kallance< TBC)%orkshire 6orward (3atrick Bowes" Tom Riordan" Simon 6oy< IthJune)M74# (Simon Mokes< IthLay)8neMorthEast (Research meeting< Fth#pril)

#ssociation Regional 8bservatories (Micola nderdown" Co,ordinator< 3hilipEadie" Chair< GthLarch)7est Lidlands Regional #ssembly and :ocal ;overnment #ssociation(Sherman 7ong< th#pril)Morthern 7ay (Richard Baker< #ndrew :ewis< H thLarch)R4# Secretariat (Sue Ba0ter< Nth#pril)

City regions

Lanchester Enterprises (Like Emmerich$Rupert ;reenlaugh< FthLay)Core Cities (Chris Lurray< thLarch)

Other

Commission for Rural Communities (#lastair Johnson" Roger Turner" ;ordonStokes< Ard6ebruary)Centre for Cities (4ermot 6inch" Lalcom Cooper" 3aula :ucci< I th6eb)Regional Studies (Sally 5ardy< AstLarch)CB& (&an LcCa1erty< TBC)

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&. "chieving your objectives 'orking project plan( year 16ull detailsof all the relevant communications activities developed into a working pro!ectplan with deadlines and responsibilities. Remember to include key milestones and reviewdates" think carefully about cost" include sta1 and consultants" also how will you evaluatesuccess9 Below are some suggested groupings" the table is led by activity but you maywell want to have one for each year of activity.

Communications plans are living documents and will need regular reviewing and

updating."ctivity )udget

/resources*eadline/timeframe

+uccesscriteria

dentity/general %-Stakeholderconsultatione0ercise

PA" July HN Leetings held

Branding P" Lay HN :ogo

PF #utumn HN ;ood attendance

and positivefeedback

Joint SERC$ThinkTank (TBC)seminar

PF Spring HI ;ood attendanceand positivefeedback

+ubtotal1,&

4ebsite/electroniccommunication7ebsite PF" HF June HN 7ebsite

launched< ;oodhits

Recentdiscussion paperemail

P" Quarterly 4istributed tomailing list