Social Science Enterprise Scheme (SSES) results

Posted on 4 March 2021

Last year, the Faculty of Social Sciences launched the Social Science Enterprise Scheme (SSES), which provided seed-corn funding and support to doctoral students and early career researchers to develop collaborative activities with business..

Following an application process, which included internal and external guidance and training to develop proposals, three exciting projects were successful in securing funding:

Kelli Kennedy, Social Policy and Social Work: Supermarket Corporate Social Responsibility Schemes: Working Towards Ethical Schemes Promoting Food Security.

This project aims to work with supermarkets on how to best formulate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) schemes which target those who cannot access or afford sufficient food. The researchers will partner with a supermarket to exchange knowledge and enhance their CSR scheme(s) to help facilitate food security.

The project will create an evaluation report for the partner, synthesising relevant academic literature, providing an evaluation of their scheme(s), alongside policy recommendations. The project will include a knowledge exchange workshop with third sector practitioners, will produce an infographic and policy brief for wider use, as well as an academic paper.

Dr Anna Ozimek, Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media: Diversity and Inclusion in Informal Learning Spaces in the Videogame Industry

In the videogame industry, informal learning spaces (e.g., conferences, meet-ups and game jams) provide opportunities to develop new business connections, access training opportunities and exchange knowledge about game production, but the organisation and cultures of these spaces raise concerns about their inclusivity and accessibility to people of diverse backgrounds. In collaboration with videogame industry representatives (Ukie, Game Republic, Women in Games (WIGJ) Ambassador in Yorkshire), this project will develop knowledge about and guidance on organising inclusive informal learning spaces. The project aims to promote diversity and inclusivity in the videogame industry and develop stronger relationships with the videogame sector.

Alice Wilson, Sociology: OpHouse – An Exploration into a Tiny House Community in York

OpHouse is a clean growth accelerator for community-led self-build housing projects. The affordable housing crisis will become increasingly acute under the economic downturn following COVID19. Our tiny house development offers a radically affordable alternative to business-as-usual by foregrounding the needs of the local community and empowering resilient neighbourhoods through collaboration on the tiny house development. Moreover, a proportion of the tiny houses will be allocated to a local social housing authority, providing homes for some of the most vulnerable in our communities, whilst encouraging the sustainable growth of diverse and equitable urban neighbourhoods.

Over the coming months, we will continue to support these researchers on their engagement activities, as well as exploring how we deliver greater support to our social science researchers to engage with business in the future.

The Social Science Enterprise Scheme is funded as part of the Economic and Social Research Councils National Productivity Investment Fund Accelerating Business Collaboration (ESRC NPIF ABC) project.

If you have a business engagement idea that would benefit from additional support, or if you have any questions about this programme, please get in touch with us.

Bringing social sciences and businesses together (PDF , 1,509kb)