How can I engage?
Get a group of students to support you with your data, evaluation or research needs
- How does it work?
Students work in small teams to undertake research as volunteers, through the UCL SU volunteering programme.
- What's the timeline and commitment?
These projects run for 2-3 months and happen at any time of the year.
- Choose this option if...
You only need a single research, evaluation or data processing task completed OR you have a project that needs to be done ASAP.
Collaborate with a master's student on a piece of academic research
- How does it work?
As part of their master's degree, students work with voluntary, community and non-profit organisations to design and carry out research that addresses a real problem identified by those organisations.
- What's the timeline and commitment?
Students typically submit their research proposals from December-March and undertake research from April-September.
Organisations will attend one of our induction sessions with their partner student in February or March. They will have regular touch points with the student throughout the project (weekly or monthly). They will attend our Community Research Showcase in September to celebrate the completion of the project.
- Choose this option if...
You need a start to finish research project including design, data collection, analysis and write up. OR you want a rigorous and academic piece of research. OR you want student input on research design and methodologies.
Both routes enable you to:
- Work with our dedicated team to form a research brief(s) which meet your needs and priorities
- Use student expertise to answer problems, assess existing practices and advance capacities
- Receive bespoke outputs with a summary of research findings and actionable steps
- Access mentoring and support from the UCL SU Student Social Impact team
What kinds of outputs come from research projects?
Across all projects, students work with organisations to produce a range of useful and usable outputs. Here are few common options:
- Database (new data or synthesis of existing data)
- Webinar sharing technical information with a Q&A session
- Executive summary reports
- Twitter posts
- Scoping review, with reading/reference list
- Contributions to funding applications
- Departmental presentations
- Presentations to Trustees
- Workshop for stakeholders or employees
How does it work?
Step 1: Book in with our team to discuss your needs, wants and ideas.
Step 2: Recruit a student through our website platform.
Step 3: Start your research partnership.
Step 4: Reap the rewards!