Coventry HDRC is evaluating to understand and influence the progress and impact of the programme.
It is essential that we track our progress. This will help us understand what is changing because of the HDRC and how we can improve. This study was to find out how Coventry City Council is involved in research now, at the start of the HDRC.
Two surveys were carried out early on, and we plan to repeat them in years 3 and 5 to track our progress. We are using interviews, focus groups, document analysis, and case studies, as well as working with other HDRC evaluation teams nationwide to help us evaluate the Coventry HDRC.
The survey helped the HDRC team ensure that plans would be more valuable and relevant to council teams. For example, training modules were developed to suit people with no previous research experience and other opportunities for people who have already completed courses. Work is ongoing to develop guidance around ethically carrying out research, where clear communication will be necessary. Also, ongoing work is needed to raise awareness of the HDRC and how the team can support other areas of the Council.
You can read the full report and survey findings on the NIHR open research portal.