The knowledge transfer and engagement activities of UKTRC are designed to make make connections between the transport and social science research disciplines and from academia to those involved in policy and practice, including local and central government, NGOs, consultants and industry.  We place a high priority on engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to debate current issues and to publicise, discuss and disseminate the findings of the research and associated UKTRC activities.

One of our key roles is to act as a hub, a central resource for the range of communities interested in the cross over between the social science and transport.
This requires an active process of knowledge transfer and engagement with a wide variety of academics, professionals and other stakeholder groups, both nationally and internationally. 

Our objectives for knowledge transfer and engagement are to:

• Provide a forum for high level debate between researchers, practitioners and policy makers on:
  • Key transport policy issues
  • Research problems and priorities
  • UKTRC outputs and related research findings
• Bring academic and professional expertise from outside the transport field to debate transport issues and participate in the research and outreach work of UKTRC.
• Engage wider groups of interested parties in all aspects of the work of UKTRC.

Our Summer School is one of our key activities aimed at building research capacity and will be one way in which we will engage and share learning with PhD and early career researchers, in addition six kinds of output activities are planned for the coming year:

1. A public launch of UKTRC is planned for 23rd November, to an invited audience of academics, practitioners, politicians and policy makers.  The event will both present the UKTRC research programme and related activities, and also showcase the main social sciences and the contribution they can make to transport research and policy formation.

2. Invited workshops linked to several of the UKTRC research activities that began in spring 2010.  For example the Social Impacts project plans to hold six workshops, each under a specific theme and the Physical Activity and Health project is also holding a series of workshops.  More details will be provided shortly.

3. A series of Chatham House rules events, to bring together leading researchers, industry and policy makers to explore controversial issues in an open but challenging environment.  Many of these events will be held in conjunction with other bodies (research centres, government departments etc.).  Topics under development include:

   • Plugging the funding gap through transport taxation and prices

   • What lies behind the apparent levelling off in the per capita growth in car use?

   • Slot allocation in different transport modes and sectors: are there lessons to be learnt?

   • What is driving the rapid growth in van traffic - can it continue?

   • HS2 and the wider economic and social impacts

   • Does transport appraisal need a radical change?

   • The role of design in addressing transport challenges

   • What constitutes acceptable ‘evidence’ in different disciplines?

   • The hidden costs of cross-sector impacts

   • What future for activity-based models?

4. Events to launch specific UKTRC research findings from the seven Centre funded research projects and scanning exercises.

5. In addition to funding its own targeted research programme, UKTRC will identify and showcase other social science research that will be of benefit to the transport research community.  We will look to research council funded studies, and research directly funded by government and the European Commission, as well as PhD studentships to provide the source material for this work.

6. One to one or small group meetings with representatives of government departments, local authority organizations, consultants and industry to explore current priorities and opportunities for collaboration