| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/D033667/1 |
| Title: |
Awareness and understanding of complexity science principles for real world research |
| Principal Investigator: |
Fan, Dr IS |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Sch of Industrial and Manufacturing Scie |
| Organisation: |
Cranfield University |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 December 2005 |
Ends: |
30 November 2006 |
Value (£): |
62,506
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Mathematical Aspects of OR |
Non-linear Systems Mathematics |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Communications |
Environment |
| Financial Services |
Healthcare |
| Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology |
Information Technologies |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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The reductionist tradition is adopted in much of UK and western undergraduate training for engineering, physical sciences and some branches of social science and management. For postgraduate research, the implicit mechanical model that underpins this thinking does not lend itself to the complex contexts of real world research that researchers are increasingly faced with. In order to understand and work with real world complexity, researchers need to have at their disposal a conceptual framework and associated methods, which can reflect that complexity by being grounded in it. Researchers therefore need to have a basic understanding of the nature and content of such an approach and its implications for their own work. This proposal will contribute to such an understanding through the provision of a short course on the principles of complexity science, the tools and methods associated with it and case examples of it. This course will build upon established research, consultancy and teaching that has been undertaken for commercial clients, the European Union and the UK research councils and is grounded in complexity science principles. The project team has extensive knowledge and expertise in the application of these principles and the project will make use of experiential learning materials they have already developed to communicate complexity science. A five-day course is proposed, on the basis of this background, for post-graduate research students engaged with real world complexity. This will provide an interactive and reflexive approach that encourages students to discover and experience some of the core principles of complexity science, provides a theoretical framework for those principles, explores them through case studies and finally helps the student locate them in the context of their own research domain.The project includes the development of the course material and deliver it two times in September 2006 with a maximum of 20 students at each week.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.cranfield.ac.uk |