Saunders WSA. 2019. Principles of project-based engagement. Lower Hutt (NZ): GNS Science. 42 p. (GNS Science miscellaneous series 129). doi:10.21420/VJPZ-Q393.
Abstract:
This guidance has been produced to help researchers from any research programme understand the basic principles and expectations of engagement. It is aimed at researchers with little engagement knowledge or experience and is very general in nature; the level of engagement and amount of planning will be dependent on the scale of the project and its potential impact.
Three stages of research and associated engagement activities are presented:
- During the proposal development and design
- During the implementation of the proposal
- During post-delivery of the research output.
The three stages are based around the premise of research being useful, useable and used.
Engagement ‘building blocks’ are provided in Appendix 2 in the form of templates, which will need to be adapted according to the research context. These templates provide a useful starting point for researchers embarking on development of an engagement strategy and should be used during the proposal design, project implementation and post-delivery stages of the research output. Guidance on engaging with Māori is included, as well as examples of core values for engagement, ethical considerations, and the importance of linking to programme and/or institutional engagement and communication arrangements. This guidance is not intended as an academic review of engagement literature; rather, it provides a basic overview of engagement principles, which can be further enhanced with the use of academic findings and outcomes on engagement. The information provided relies heavily on resources from the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), experience the author has had in project-based engagement and guidance on Māori-specific engagement requirements. (auth)
