The Evaluation Team conducts scheme/programme evaluations across the AHRC’s portfolio to assess the extent to which they are delivering their aims and objectives, and to provide advice based on their findings to enable strategic decisions to be made in planning future projects and programmes.
The AHRC has clear evaluation procedures relating to both individual projects, which produce a final report that is subject to peer review, and schemes/programmes, which are subject to greater scrutiny. We apply a range of approaches to our scheme/programme evaluations, including: logic models, surveys, interviews, focus groups, peer review, economic impact assessment methods, and statistical techniques. The timetable for evaluations is scheduled in liaison with the Senior Management Team (SMT) and colleagues in the Programmes Division to ensure that reviews are conducted in a timely and strategic manner. For example, an evaluation review may be scheduled to precede considerations of potential changes to a scheme/programme.
The Evaluation Team works with colleagues in SMT and the Programmes Division to ensure that:
- Monitoring and evaluation activities are included within the planning process for all new policies and programmes;
- The outcomes of evaluations are widely learned and communicated within the AHRC, and fed back as ‘lessons learned’ in planning new policies and programmes;
- Evaluations are extended beyond schemes and programmes to include all policies and activities conducted by the AHRC.
Summaries of recent reviews are provided below:
Pilot and Supplementary Dissemination scheme (49kb)
Knowledge Catalyst scheme (64kb)