Impact

In Politics, Philosophy and Religion (PPR) we treat impact and knowledge exchange as essential parts of our research agenda.

We are developing innovative forms of public exchange work and strong relationships with non-HEI agencies and communities, as ways of stimulating new questions and research agendas. All our areas of research and associated centres and groups have links with external bodies that use academic research in relation to religion, health, policy, peace, and other issues.

On this page, you will find areas in which PPR research is having impact.

Enhancing Public Understanding of and Debate about Religion

The Faith Debates

The aim of the Faith Debates is to bring academic research about religion and belief into constructive conversation with public and policy work.

Radicalisation Research

Radicalisation' has often seemed the key to understanding, and preventing, modern terrorism. The Radicalisation research website gathers high-quality academic research on radicalisation and makes it easily accessible for policymakers, journalists and anyone else whose work deals with this area.

The interior of an ornate religious building

Iconic Religion

Iconic Religion (IcoRel) is funded by the HERA programme (Humanities in the European Research Area). It provides financial support for the IcoRel project as well as for 17 other projects, all of them focusing on cultural encounters.

Improving Religious Education

A New Settlement

Woodhead and Clarke’s 2015 and 2018 reports ‘A New Settlement: Religion and Belief in Schools’ forwarded proposals for improving the teaching of religion in UK schools. These reports were launched in Parliament, debated by politicians, widely discussed in the media and by faith bodies, and have created public consensus about the need for change.

A selection of coloured pencils on a wooden surface

Open learning resources

PPR provides a range of open learning resources for use in the classroom, including ‘China in a Box’, New Political Minds resources, and A-Level teaching resources in Eastern religions, life after death, and women in Hinduism and Buddhism.

An open notebook with pens and a coffee mug at the side

In Dialogue with the Mahabharata

This project is the first thoroughgoing examination of dialogue in the Mahabharata. The Mahabharata, composed in Sanskrit - likely between 400 BCE and 400 CE - is a long, narrative poem that chronicles the history of the Indian people within the context of a divine struggle between good and evil. Throughout India's history, the Mahabharata has continued to be of central cultural and religious significance.

A royal person holding a bow on a horse-drawn carriage surround by an army at war. — An illustration from the Maharabhata

Fostering Peace Processes and Conflict Resolution, and Mitigating Security Threats

CREST

CREST brings together the UK’s foremost expertise in understanding the psychological and social drivers of the threat, the skills and technologies that enable its effective investigation, and the protective security measures that help counter the threat in the first place. It does so within a context of significant stakeholder and international researcher engagement, and with a clear plan for sustained and long-term growth.

Security Lancaster

We engage and collaborate with companies from a range of sectors and governments. Our approach delivers the very best use-inspired and pure research alongside cutting-edge education that delivers real impact.

Improving the Understanding and Treatment of Religion amongst Public Agencies

Re/Presenting Islam on Campus

Re/presenting Islam on Campus was a project to explore how Islam and Muslims are represented and perceived on UK university campuses. It was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Improving Health Care

Reproductive Donation

The Donation and Transfer of Human Reproductive Materials is a programme of research led jointly by Rosamund Scott (Professor of Medical Law and Ethics at King’s College London) and Stephen Wilkinson (Professor of Bioethics at Lancaster University). It is funded by a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award in Ethics and Society. The research considers the ethical framework for the donation and transfer of human reproductive materials such as eggs and sperm, coupled with the implications of this framework for clinical practice, law, policy, and regulation. Specific issues presently being examined include ethical and legal issues raised by in vitrogametogenesis, mitochondrial replacement, and uterus transplants.

I.Family

The I Family Study investigated the determinants of food and lifestyle choices in European children, adolescents and their parents and the impact on lifelong health.