Crucible

Crucible: Contents 3

Contents

Crucible: creating the outward-facing researcher 5

How Crucible has made an impact 6

Case Studies

Taking a research project in a new direction 8

An innovative approach to dental surgery 10

Exploring a shared interest in environmental science 12

Creating a miniaturised research lab 14

Collaborating on a commercial and humanitarian challenge 16

Carbon Crucible 18

Scottish Crucible 18

Crucible: creating the outward-facing researcher 5

Crucible: creating the outward-facing researcher

NESTA believes that collaboration between researchers from different disciplines is a vital part of solving the complex challenges that are facing society – challenges that can’t be solved by one discipline alone. The boundaries of disciplines and sectors offer the ripest ground for innovation and it’s imperative that we encourage and support researchers to undertake interdisciplinary research. To do this, they must become ‘outward-facing’ and look for opportunities to collaborate.

We re-launched Crucible as a pilot programme in 2007, with the aim of forming an interdisciplinary network of researchers working in science, technology, engineering, medicine and social science. The programme helps researchers in the early stages of their careers to look outwards for opportunities to

innovate and make a difference. It asks them, ‘what could you achieve if you put your heads together?’

Each year, the Crucible programme selects 30 researchers to attend three intensive, residential ‘labs’ where they take part in training, lectures, group exercises, personal reflection and field trips. The labs are designed to introduce the researchers to new ways of thinking and working, with the ultimate goal of creating long-term shifts in attitudes towards collaboration. Each session challenges participants, taking them out of their comfort zones and opening their eyes to new working practices. At the end of the programme, the researchers have a chance to work together on proposals to bid for funding for projects that support Crucible’s aims.

6 Crucible: How Crucible has made an impact

How Crucible has made an impact

Crucible aims to introduce early-career researchers to new ways of thinking and working and to create long-term changes in attitude and working practice. We commissioned an evaluation of Crucible 2008 to assess how successfully the programme is achieving these goals. The evaluation is based on an observational study conducted by a trained ethnographer who was placed amongst the researchers, as well as interviews with participants at different stages of the programme.

An interdisciplinary network

The structure of the Crucible programme – with intensive, residential training ‘labs’ taking place over three weekends – created a strong sense of shared identity amongst the participants. The shared identity was built on Crucible’s goals and the experience of taking part in something which is intensive, exciting and potentially risky.

This sense of being part of a group easily translated into an interdisciplinary network that had a life beyond the labs themselves. Much of the activity of this network took the form of electronic communication, with the researchers discussing practicalities, projects and ideas over email and in an online workspace provided by NESTA. Some of the collaborative projects that have developed between participants are a direct result of networking outside of the labs. Since the programme ended, the researchers have continued to draw on each other’s

expertise, using the network as a way to quickly obtain new kinds of knowledge.

Changing attitudes

Crucible was very successful in breaking down pre-existing attitudes and assumptions about different academic disciplines and backgrounds. Many of the researchers were pleasantly surprised to discover shared areas of interest with other members of the group, as well as an understanding of how their individual skills could be pulled together.

At the start of the programme the group held a cautious view of interdisciplinary collaboration, but by the end there was a clear appreciation of the positive benefits of an interdisciplinary approach. Many of the participants put this new approach into practice straight away by submitting funding proposals for collaborative projects.

The most marked shift in attitudes came from the majority group of science-trained researchers, many of whom initially saw social science as a ‘soft’ discipline. A good proportion of the eventual project proposals not only involved social scientists, but also included a focus on examining the social aspects of science communication or application. If the social network created by Crucible was the most important of its successes, then it was the equality between the participants from different disciplines that made it so valuable.

Crucible: How Crucible has made an impact 7

Looking outwards Participants also underwent a shift in attitudes towards engagement with wider society. The group moved from a starting position of having little un-derstanding of how or why they would communicate with media and policymakers, towards ‘informed cynicism’ in terms of understanding the priorities and practices of these groups. Specific actions initi-ated by participants since the programme concluded reveal a strong interest in improving the way they communicate their work.

At the same time, the researchers became more aware of the potential for collaboration with industry-based researchers and for exploring options for commercialising their work. Taken together, these changes show that Crucible introduces the idea of ‘the outward-facing researcher’ with some success. One or two of the participants have already faced important career choices since the end of the programme and have said that Crucible has influenced the choices they have made or might make. At least one participant has moved significantly in the direction of commercialisation.

Developing collaborative projects

We invited the Crucible participants to attend an optional fourth lab to develop interdisciplinary project proposals and bid for a small amount of seed funding. This lab produced a wide range of innovative collaborations which would have been inconceivable at the start of the programme. We funded around half of the proposals submitted and are now involved in 12 ongoing interdisciplinary Crucible projects.

Additional collaborations that have emerged since the programme include the creation of a blog and the development of a collection of social histories. Two researchers have worked on a joint application for funding, despite the fact that at the first lab they considered themselves to be too far apart academically to collaborate. These projects have taken place independently of the Crucible process, but could not have happened without it.

Impact one year on In July 2009 we held a number of focus groups with researchers who took part in the 2007 programme, to examine the impact of Crucible one year after completion. The researchers said that Crucible had significantly influenced their careers, with feedback ranging from the programme being ‘just one factor among many’, to it being ‘critical to the success’ of particular activities.

Examples of how Crucible has benefited participants include launching a cross-disciplinary project utilising networks built during the programme; joining an MBA programme to learn more about enterprise; being named ‘lecturer of the year’ after creating a programme based on materials encountered at Crucible; and submitting a grant proposal that was more risky than previous proposals.

The researchers also highlighted a number of ways in which Crucible had increased their confidence levels and encouraged them to seek out new directions for their work. They were more comfortable with taking risks, had a greater belief in their own ideas and felt more confident when speaking with people who work in other disciplines.

Taking the programme forward

Over the last three years NESTA has tested and refined the Crucible model. Our evaluation of the 2008 programme shows that Crucible makes a valuable contribution to the attitudes and working practices of researchers at a crucial stage in their careers. It allows them to develop a network of like-minded and outward-facing contacts across a range of disciplines and opens their eyes to innovative and collaborative approaches to research that will benefit them throughout their careers.

We are now identifying partners throughout the UK to help take the Crucible model forward from 2010 onwards, so that we can extend these experiences and opportunities to a larger number of early-career researchers.

8

Case study

Taking a research project in a new direction

University of Warwick physicist Rachel Edwards is used to working in an interdisciplinary way, as her research focuses on the boundary between physics and engineering. “Much of my work involved working with other researchers in physics, chemistry and engineering, but I’d not explored the potential for working with researchers in broader areas,” explains Rachel. “What I found really interesting about Crucible was having an opportunity to work alongside people from very different backgrounds, like psychology and biology.”

One of the research projects that Rachel had been working on prior to joining Crucible examined how ultrasound could be used to detect cracks in railway tracks. “Using the data, we created images which showed some interesting patterns. We were able to analyse the data to say that these patterns occur where we think cracks are.”

Introducing new technologies

A conversation between Rachel and fellow Crucible participant Colin Johnson, a computer scientist at the University of Kent, led to an interesting collaboration. “Having the opportunity to apply for a grant at the end of the programme really encouraged us to put the ideas and approaches we’d learnt into practice. Colin was working on image recognition and we decided to collaborate on an extension to my railway tracks project, using image recognition technology on the ultrasound images. The image

recognition technique would provide an additional backup to the data analysis I’d already established.”

Colin and Rachel each have a postgraduate student working on the railway tracks project and Rachel says that the collaboration process has been very straightforward, with the only delays being caused by administrative processes between the two universities. “There are some really nice preliminary results emerging from the project,” comments Rachel. “We’re hoping to secure longer-term grant funding so that we can continue the work.”

New ways of thinking

On a personal level, Rachel says that one of the biggest impacts of the Crucible programme has been the extra confidence it has given her when talking to different audiences about her research. She has also noticed a change in the way she thinks about her work and her career.

“Crucible gave me a valuable space to look back at my career so far and think about how I want to develop in the future. It’s helped me to approach my work in a slightly different way and it’s definitely had a positive effect on the way I write grant proposals.”

Crucible: Case study Taking a research project in a new direction

“ It’s very interesting to see how software for image analysis can be used to solve an important engineering problem.”Dr Colin Johnson, University of Kent

Dr Rachel Edwards

Crucible: Case study Taking a research project in a new direction 9

10

Case study

An innovative approach to dental surgery

Jamie Harle is a biological physicist at the Open University. He came to the Crucible programme with a firm belief in the importance of collaboration in research. “Nowadays you have to be willing to collaborate as a scientist,” he explains. “You have to talk to other researchers to find out about their problems and see how you might be able to help.”

Although Jamie was already used to working in a collaborative way, taking part in Crucible offered an opportunity to meet scientists from industry and people working in more diverse fields such as sociology and anthropology. “Meeting people from such diverse backgrounds got me thinking about how I could expand my research and take a different approach to developing ideas in the future.”

Exploring the potential of plasma technology

Jamie was interested in exploring how plasma technology could be used in medicine, but he hadn’t yet identified a specific medical application that would enable him to take the idea further. When Jamie shared his ideas with Melissa Grant, a biologist at the University of Birmingham’s School of Dentistry, the pair struck upon dental treatment as a promising area for using plasma technology.

Jamie and Melissa are now collaborating on a project to design a handheld plasma device for use in dental surgery. “We’re hoping to develop an alternative to

the traditional dentist’s drill, which causes patients so much anxiety and discomfort. One of the first steps is a series of experiments on human cells grown in culture, where we’ll study the effect that plasmas have on tissues in the mouth.”

Engaging with others

When Jamie first joined the Crucible programme, he didn’t necessarily expect to stay in contact with the other participants – but he has done so. “I’m still in touch with a good proportion of the other researchers. I can definitely envisage people using the network to discuss project ideas and potential new collaborations.”

Jamie says that taking part in Crucible has opened his eyes to the possibilities for working in industry or taking more of an entrepreneurial career path. “Crucible encouraged me to find out more about the commercial aspects of research and I recently completed a programme at Nottingham’s Bio-Entrepreneur School to learn about issues like intellectual property and marketing.”

He also says that Crucible reinforced his awareness that researchers can’t afford to simply sit in their labs and ignore the world around them. “Every researcher should make an effort to engage with policymakers and the public. We all need to be willing to tell people what we’re working on and how it affects them.”

Crucible: Case study An innovative approach to dental surgery

Dr Jamie Harle

Crucible: Case study An innovative approach to dental surgery 11

“We’re able to spark ideas off each other and come back with different viewpoints, which really helps to drive the project forward.” Dr Melissa Grant, University of Birmingham

12

Case study

Exploring a shared interest in environmental science

When Newcastle University marine scientist Clare Fitzsimmons joined Crucible, she soon discovered that several other participants shared her interest in a particular aspect of environmental science. She explains: “One of the challenges in environmental science is that the advice you give to environmental decision-makers is based on scientific principles and may well conflict with local people’s interests. I’d been mulling over this issue for a while and found that it had cropped up for others in the group too.”

Defining the problem

Clare started exploring the problem with Alison Holt, an ecologist at the University of Sheffield, and Karen Johnson, a civil engineer at Durham University. The researchers shared an intuitive understanding that there was a question of ethics that needed to be addressed, but struggled to define the precise problem.

“We became aware that our training in environmental science hadn’t equipped us with the skills or language to articulate the issue fully. By involving an ethicist in our discussions, we were able to make real headway in understanding the problem and developing a research project around it.”

A broad view of collaboration

The project that evolved from these discussions is Worth Less: People or Nature? It will test a

new approach to environmental decision-making through fieldwork on the Isle of Sheppey. The three environmental scientists are joined by bioethicist Muireann Quigley from the University of Manchester.

Clare is used to collaborating with civil and marine engineers, but working with an ethicist is a new experience for her. “Each of the Crucible participants gave a presentation on their work and like others, I was initially quite sceptical about the practicalities of incorporating real-time ethics into research. But I can now see how much value a discipline like ethics can bring to science research. Crucible definitely helped me to set aside my preconceptions and take a more open-minded view of collaboration.”

Renewed focus

Taking part in Crucible has renewed Clare’s commitment to collaborative working. “Even though you sometimes come up against barriers with grant funding, Crucible has given me the confidence to stick with a multidisciplinary approach.”

Clare says that the strong network built up during the programme is already producing some promising new project collaborations. “Since Crucible ended I’ve collaborated with a few of the other participants on funding bids. It’s still early days for these proposals, but whatever happens, I know there will be more opportunities to collaborate in the future – so much of the work that each of us does is relevant to others in the network.”

Crucible: Case study Exploring a shared interest in enviromental science

Dr Clare Fitzsimmons

Crucible: Case study Exploring a shared interest in enviromental science 13

“Bringing together researchers from such different backgrounds makes for an exciting and challenging collaboration. We expect to produce some novel and interesting work.” Dr Alison Holt, University of Sheffield

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Case study

Creating a miniaturised research lab

For three researchers, the Crucible programme resulted in a highly innovative collaborative project that will see them sending a miniaturised research lab into space. The High Altitude Bioprospector project is developing an automated lab that will be carried on a NASA weather balloon and look for novel organisms living at high altitudes.

How the project evolved

Oliver de Peyer is leading the lab automation element of the project. He explains how the collaboration came about: “I’d been thinking about developing a small, simple robot for a long time and had been considering various ideas for medical applications. Through talking to other researchers during Crucible, the idea evolved into an aerospace project – it went from something very practical to something exciting and space age.”

Joining Oliver in the High Altitude Bioprospector project are University of Birmingham microbiologist Melissa Grant and University of Bath civil engineer and architect Paul Shepherd. Oliver says that the input from researchers in other disciplines has been essential to developing the initial robot idea into a fully-fledged project.

“Discussing the idea with other Crucible participants and then collaborating with Melissa and Paul has been invaluable. For example, without Paul’s involvement we wouldn’t have had access to the 3D

prototyping equipment that’s been an integral part of the project.”

An exhilarating experience

Oliver looks back on Crucible as a tremendously exciting and exhilarating experience. “I went in with a completely open mind and was very keen to learn about what other people were doing. Thinking and working across such a broad range of disciplines isn’t something you ever get to do in science otherwise. Crucible was an incredibly inspiring opportunity to do something revolutionary and different rather than make the usual incremental progress.”

The High Altitude Bioprospector is a real personal passion for Oliver. He says that the seed funding provided through Crucible has provided a lifeline to his ambitions for achieving mainstream lab automation.

“If this project delivers good results, I’ll definitely be looking to test and explore the potential for lab automation further. Perhaps this would be in an aerospace setting but I could also go back to the medical application context that I was considering in the very early stages of the project. If we get to this stage, I’d hope to discuss ideas for more collaborative projects with the network of contacts I made through Crucible.”

Crucible: Case study Creating a miniaturised research lab

Dr Oliver de Peyer

Crucible: Case study Creating a miniaturised research lab 15

“Working on this project has opened my eyes to new ways of collaborating and communicating across interdisciplinary teams.” Dr Paul Shepherd, University of Bath

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Case study

Collaborating on a commercial and humanitarian challenge

Before joining Crucible, medical researcher Quinton Fivelman was already working in a collaborative way with a group of medical students. “We first met each other at a business plan competition and once the competition was over, we found that we had lots of other ideas for medical technologies appropriate to the developing world and decided to set up the DevelopMed research group,” explains Quinton. “One of our ideas is the Burnell Ventouse, a portable and reusable device designed to reduce the rate of complications during assisted delivery births in developing countries.”

Taking part in Crucible introduced Quinton to researchers from many different backgrounds and increased his understanding of other areas of research. “It was fascinating to compare backgrounds and build connections across disciplines. I was struck by how easy it was to find areas of common ground and how many of us faced the same problems and issues.”

Spotting an opportunity

When the Crucible team announced that a pot of funding was available for collaborative project proposals, Quinton began thinking about potential project ideas. “I quickly realised that there was a fantastic opportunity to get some of the highly skilled researchers on the Crucible programme involved in the ventouse project. I talked the idea over with different people and Duncan Lockerby and

Phil Cassey were both very keen to join the project.”

Duncan Lockerby, an associate professor in engineering at the University of Warwick, has got his students involved in developing the product, while Phil Cassey, a statistician at the University of Birmingham, will be working on statistical analysis during the product testing stage.

Quinton says that the collaboration is already exceeding his initial expectations. “The process is going very smoothly – everyone knows what they need to do so it’s almost been self-sufficient. Although the product idea was around before Crucible, the project definitely has its roots in the programme. Getting engineering expertise has been invaluable and I don’t see how we would have achieved this without Crucible.”

A new career direction

Quinton had already started moving away from pure research into a business development role when he joined Crucible and since completing the programme he has made this move fully. Taking part in the programme has also made Quinton more aware of opportunities to work with the media. Since completing Crucible he has appeared on the BBC World Service and was involved in a TV show focusing on inventors’ intellectual property.

Crucible: Case Study Collaborating on a commercial and humanitarian challenge

Dr Quinton Fivelman

Dr Quinton Fivelman

Crucible: Case Study Collaborating on a commercial and humanitarian challenge 17

“Most of my work focuses on aerospace, so this collaborative project is an exciting opportunity to branch out into a completely new area.” Dr Duncan Lockerby, University of Warwick

18 Crucible: Carbon Crucible / Scottish Crucible

Carbon Crucible

Scottish Crucible

In 2008, the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and NESTA launched a spin-off from the main Crucible programme. Carbon Crucible has the specific aim of sparking interdisciplinary collaboration in low-carbon energy research. The programme received additional funding from the Research Councils’ Energy Programme and the Technology Strategy Board.

“Carbon Crucible brings together a diverse collection of low-carbon researchers who wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity to meet and explore the common ground that lies between them,” explains Dr Jeff Hardy, Network Manager at UKERC. “The model offers really exciting opportunities for stimulating innovative and impactful research that will help the UK to reduce its carbon footprint and achieve a low-carbon future.”

Of the 30 researchers who took part in the Carbon Crucible labs, 20 went on to collaborate on projects. “The participants have formed a very strong network which will help them to generate interdisciplinary ideas and share information throughout their careers,” says Jennifer Otoadese, UKERC Meeting Place Manager.

UKERC hopes to continue running the Carbon Crucible programme and create more opportunities for low-carbon researchers to explore new ways of working. “We’re confident that the Crucible model can deliver the kind of innovative, interdisciplinary research that is critical to meeting the low-carbon energy challenge set by the government,” says Jeff. “It’s about inspiring the next generation of researchers to undertake bold, collaborative projects and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed.”

2009 saw the introduction of a Crucible programme designed especially for researchers in Scotland. Dr Ruth Neiland, GRADskills Director at the University of St Andrews, explains the aims of the programme: “We already have a strong ethos of collaboration amongst researchers in Scotland and this is supported by the research pooling initiative across our higher education institutions. But most of this collaboration is within single disciplines. Scottish Crucible is about helping researchers to think and work in a more interdisciplinary way.”

The 30 early-career researchers who took part in the 2009 programme formed a strong network and quickly identified ways in which they could

work together. When a pot of funding was made available for collaborative projects at the end of the programme, the Crucible team received 15 project proposals from different groups of participants.

“In its first year, Scottish Crucible has attracted a lot of attention from universities and funding bodies,” says Ruth. “People recognise that it’s an effective way of supporting talented researchers to become more innovative, more interdisciplinary and more aware of how research can have an impact on society through knowledge transfer. We’re hoping to secure funding to enable us to continue running the programme over the next few years.”

If you would like to hear more about the structure and impact of the Crucible programme, please watch our short film which can be found at

www.nesta.org.uk/crucible

To discuss any aspect of the programme with NESTA please contact:

Dr Rachel Brazil rachel.brazil@nesta.org.uk

Tel: 020 7438 2656

NESTA1 Plough Place London EC4A 1DE

www.nesta.org.uk