Unlocking Community Energy-proposal for research
Mar 15th, 2010 |
We have recenly been contacted by Rob Hopkins..see letter below. Linda Screen helped me to form an appropriate reply. On behalf of PEAT I have given a summary of the community projects that PEAT has supported or initiated…its amazing what has been achieved ! Everyone has played an important part in all of this.
Linda.. Transition Dorchester/part time PA for Rob in Totnes.. has now replied…
Dear Transitioners
The Transition Network is currently applying to the European Social Research Council (ESRC) for a research grant to explore the impacts of the Transition Movement in unlocking energy-dependent behaviours, and how learning from this research might help communities, be included in future training and learning and be shared more widely across the world.
The research is part of an “Energy and Communities” call - further details can be found here:
/opportunities/current_funding_opportunities
/Energy_and_Communities_Collaborative_Venture.aspx
We are working with Plymouth University, University of Gloucestershire and Schumacher College and are seeking involvement from Transition Initiatives to be part of this. We are interested in hearing whether you would like to participate and if yes, if you can send us a letter of support for this project (our deadline for this is Tuesday so sorry for the short notice)
The intention is that the project helps participating Transition Communities with a handful of activities to initiate or try-out interventions including some activities maybe co-designed with the Transition Network where you have particular problems /issues you want to tackle. We do not want to be too specific about what this might be like in practice. The research team also want to work with you to measure (in a sensible way), the impact that groups are making towards implementing low energy behaviours on the ground. This should help Initiatives evidence their local impacts, and also help future funding requests that you might want to make. Rob Hopkins will be employed as part of the research team, to spend at least some time personally working with/ helping the groups involved to design and implement interventions.
If you are interested, and able to provide a letter of support for this bid, we feel this would greatly assist our chances of being selected and will help grow capacity to do more work in the future. If you are able to help, then please address and send your letter of support (in electronic form, ideally including your logo) to Professor David Wheeler, Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Plymouth (david.wheeler@plymouth) and copy to Linda Screen (lindascreen@transitionnetwork.org). We will try and get enough funding to work with 8 areas over 3 years.
We are on an impossibly short deadline, so you could aim to get the letter to us by Monday 8th next week (our submission deadline is the 10th) then that would be brilliant. If you need any further information, then please do get in touch with Linda, and thank you, in advance for your help!
Kind regards
Rob Hopkins
Hi Collette I have put PEAT forward as a possible Research “subject” cos it might mean you get Rob down for a few sessions and I know you’re a bit of a fan - hope this was ok?’