Academic research and evaluation call

This event is being held in preparation for the commissioning by the Coventry City of Culture Trust of four Focus Studies related to key evaluation questions and outcomes outlined in the Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy.

The event will provide academic colleagues from Coventry University and the University of Warwick with details and context to inform the application process and other requirements. The commissioned focus studies will contribute directly to the evaluation of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 and provide opportunities for longer-term research.

The four focus studies will be commissioned to run from February 2021 to July 2022 to allow time for successful applicants to initiate their research and evaluation prior to the opening of City of Culture 2021 in May 2021 and to report on findings after the year’s final event in April 2022. The Trust will encourage innovative research designs from a wide range of disciplines with an interest in the selected questions. The commissions will be awarded though a selection process and the estimated budget will be up to £40,000 per commission.

The four research and evaluation questions for the focus studies are:

1. To what extent and how did programming and cultural leadership develop to reflect and represent the citizens of Coventry and the region?
2. In what ways has cultural programming and other Trust activity increased awareness of environmental responsibility and increased engagement with the natural heritage and natural landscapes areas of the city?
3. What effect has the title of UK City of Culture 2021 had on civic, cultural and business partnership co-working and to what extent can these partnerships be sustainable?
4. How and to what extent has the volunteering programme impacted on those taking part; particularly in terms of subjective well-being and civic pride?

The focus for all these studies will be on the intended beneficiaries of UK City of Culture 2021. These include target populations and neighbourhoods, community and other organisations in the City. The emphasis will be on understanding better how the build-up and in-year cultural activities and programming have impacted on different people and communities.

This event will provide further details to clarify the objectives and requirements of the commissions and give substantive contextual information to inform the design of proposals. The event will also outline the methods and additional sources of data available to researchers from the Trust, Coventry City Council and beyond, and the chance for some initial questions.

It will be of particular interest to researchers with expertise in the areas covered by the selected evaluation questions but will give all interested academics insight into the Monitoring and Evaluation processes for Coventry City of Culture 2021.

The event will take place on Tuesday 17th November 2020 between 09.30 and 11.30am via Zoom.

To book your place, please complete the form by Friday 13th November 2020.

Photo credit - Drawing (on) Life in Coventry - The Coventry 2021 Sketchbook Project