Third Sector Capacity Building Clusters

Social enterprise research cluster

The Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research, Middlesex University will lead a 5 year capacity building cluster on social enterprise funded by ESRC and Office of the Third Sector.

With colleagues in the Business School, Social Policy Research Centre in HSSC, London South Bank University and Durham University, the consortium will use the grant to fund training for new researchers on social enterprise over the next five years. The bid will develop four components: PhD Studentships, collaborative projects involving academics and social enterprises (in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships), secondments and finally vouchers to enable social enterprises to commission the research they need.

Social enterprises can join the cluster activities through co-funding each of the activities, and join the existing partners from across the sector who have committed to building up the research capacity. Initial work will include PhDs on older social entrepreneurs (working with UnLtd, a social enterprise that supports social entrepreneurship), and on ethnic minority related social enterprises and the 2012 Olympics Legacy (working with the Ethnic Minority Foundation).

Strengthening civil society: promoting active citizenship and community empowerment

'Taking Part?' Research Cluster

Taking Part? is the new ESRC research cluster for developing quality research and a critical mass around active citizenship and community empowerment with the Third Sector. It is a partnership between researchers from The University of Lincoln, Goldsmiths University of London and Manchester Metropolitan University funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in partnership with The Office for the Third Sector and the Barrow Cadbury Trust.

The research cluster is building upon the research expertise of the three universities and the track record of the national Take Part Network promoting its approach to bring together local, regional and national third sector organisations and higher education institutions, concerned with strengthening civil society:  promoting active citizenship, equalities and community empowerment.

The economic impact of the third sector

This capacity building cluster is intended to build research capacity both in the academic community and in the sector. The cluster offers opportunities to develop partnership projects between third sector organisations and academics, focusing on economic impact. The aim of these projects is to help organisations to assess the impact and value of what they do and to use data and analysis to improve service delivery.