We aim to narrow the gap between research and practice by building research capacity in Social Care.
The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England (ARC EoE) has been awarded funding from the NIHR for two years (April 2024 – March 2026) to strengthen research capacity in adult and children’s social care. SociAl care reSearCh dEvelopmeNT (ASCENT) programme will facilitate several initiatives to enhance research culture and infrastructure in social care. The project will support the delivery of practice-based research, the use of evidence in the commissioning and delivery of care services and the improvement of practitioners’ research skills in social care. ASCENT will include local partners across social care, the third sector, and healthcare and build a diverse network.
ASCENT is hosted by NIHR ARC EoE and is supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network East of England (CRN EoE). It is a collaboration of key partners in Social Care, led by Professor Eneida Mioshi (University of East Anglia) and Professor Kathryn Almack (University of Hertfordshire).
The key priorities of ASCENT for the next two years are:
- To expand current network in adult social care and build a new network in children’s social care bringing together researchers and practitioners
- To support social care practitioners to develop a career pathway in research
- To expand the implementation of the Researcher in Residence model, a role focusing on building research capacity, across the East of England region
- To strengthen the involvement of Experts-by-Experience in shaping the field of research capacity building in social care
- To enhance the concept of inclusivity in social care research
- To increase research mindedness and enhance research infrastructure within social care
- To develop resources to support practitioners navigate thought key steps of research development
ASCENT launched a new funding call, the "ASCENT Seed Funding Call", aiming to support social care practitioners who would like to start or progress on their research development. The call is now closed, and it will be likely re-launched in 2025/2026.
