KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
Knowledge Exchange forms a key element of BioSS's purpose and acts as a driving force behind our activities. We aim to ensure that the best available quantitative methods are available to a broad array of end-users, including scientists, policy makers, research students and industry. In turn, BioSS’s research is motivated by the requirements of these end-users.
Knowledge Exchange in BioSS takes various forms:
Our consultancy work is above all else a Knowledge Exchange activity. Depending on the needs of the client, our contribution can be through advice on the appropriate methods to use or though a more hands-on role. Application of quantitative techniques to answer emerging questions frequently identifies gaps in existing methodology, and so motivates new lines of research.
As well as our consultancy work at the MRPs funded by the Scottish Executive, we have a widening portfolio of clients and funders. These include government departments and agencies, research organisations, the EU, levy boards, non-government organisations and private companies.
One of our newest clients is the RSPB, which funds us to work with their researchers on ecological projects. One piece of work, published in the prestigious journal Science in 2007, demonstrated that international conservation policy has delivered benefits for birds in Europe. The BioSS contribution to this work was to adapt a statistical technique not commonly used in ecological applications for the analysis of ordered categorical response data on the status of threatened species in different countries.
Red kite (Milvus milvus) is one of many European bird species under threat. Photograph reproduced with permission from RSPB Images