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Following a year long project, Mind the Gap: Rigour and Relevance in Heritage Science Research, a team of leading academic and cultural institutions have published their findings and recommendations.

The team found that a working culture and longer-term approach to funding that reflects the changing landscape of heritage science is essential for delivering research with impact.

'Mind The Gap' report January 2014.pdf (PDF, 7.46Mb)

Findings

The research by representatives from The National Archives, Tate, the UCL Centre for Sustainable Heritage and University of Exeter found the perceived gap between researchers and users was inaccurate; there is a growing group of professionals identifying themselves as spanning both roles.

The report emphasises the need for heritage science to respond to this reality and recommends that funding extends over longer periods to grow and sustain partnerships between organisations committed to promoting collaborative research.

Nancy Bell, Head of Collection Care at The National Archives and principal investigator for the project, said: 'As funders are increasingly championing interdisciplinary research projects to address some of society's biggest challenges, the quality of collaboration will be even more important in the delivery of effective research with meaningful outcomes. While technology is making collaboration easier, people remain central to its success.'

The research highlights the distinct features of the culture necessary to support effective collaborative research and makes a series of recommendations for researchers, research organisations and funders.