Strategic Partnerships
In 2008 we embarked on a major social and corporate
responsibility commitment, sponsoring and hosting the Centre for Community Research
(CfCR). CfCR is an independent
not-for-profit social enterprise, a company limited by guarantee
whose founded members include Birmingham Voluntary Services
Council, Hanover Housing Association, Birmingham Race Action
Partnership, Newman University College, Birmingham Youth Action
Network, the health consultancy practice PMA, and Jane Slowey
OBE, Chief Executive of the Foyer Federation. CfCR has a dedicated
operational base provided within M·E·L Research's Science Park
offices, and aims to build the capacity of the expanding Third
Sector through provision of training, research, publications and
organisational development support.
Closely associated with our CfCR initiative is the partnership
with Birmingham-based social think-tank, the Human City Institute.
Established for more than 10 years, the HCI has recently been
re-launched as a forward-looking forum for social policy research
and publishes widely on issues around housing, regeneration, green
policy, inequalities, big society and the 'liveable city'. We have
provided sponsorship and input into the HCI policy papers and
events.
Since 2009 we have developed a long-term business partnership
with CACI, developers of the ACORN social
segmentation software, and subscribe to their Insite GIS software
system. Together, we are developing enhanced applications of social
segmentation to help target and focus public services more
efficiently and cost-effectively.
In 2009 M·E·L also entered a two-year conference sponsorship
deal to support LARAC, the Local
Authority Recycling Advisory Committee. LARAC was founded in the
same year as M·E·L, and both have recently celebrated their
25th anniversaries.
M·E·L is also a longstanding corporate member of UKPHA, the UK Public Health Association,
and senior research and consultancy staff have regularly presented
thought leadership papers to the UKPHA annual conferences, since
1998.
A new venture for us in 2010 is the support we are providing as
corporate members of the UK Evaluation Society through dedication
of seconded consultant staff time in coordinating the UKES Midlands
Regional network.