Why SHAPE?
Why SHAPE?
SHAPE is a new acronym developed by the British Academy to denote Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy / Environment. Learn more.
SHAPE subjects are key to solving major challenges – from achieving Net Zero, to harnessing the benefits of AI, and designing future health and care systems. Government and funder support for research to inform technological innovation often focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), overlooking the key role of SHAPE. Vice-Principal Research and Enterprise Professor Christina Boswell argues that for technological innovation to be our salvation, we need to bring SHAPE into research much earlier on. Read more.
This tool was developed in by colleagues at the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialisation service. It aims to aid STEM researchers to identify SHAPE colleagues at the University whose research can contribute to challenge-led research and contribute to technological innovation across our Research Missions.
Exploring SHAPE in innovation
We have identified 8 key dimensions pertinent to technological innovation where SHAPE subjects have a significant role to play. These are:
- Business, innovation and economy
- Ethics and regulation
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Historical and longitudinal perspectives
- Place, context and culture
- Public attitudes and controversies
- Security, risk and harm
- User and stakeholder perspectives
Use the tool to explore how SHAPE at Edinburgh contributes to the University’s Research Missions:
- Shaping the future health and care
- Harnassing data, digital and AI
- Tackling the climate and sustainability crisis
Are you interested in collaboration?
At the University of Edinburgh, we enjoy a strong ethos of research without boundaries. Across our five campuses, researchers share a strong sense of identity and common purpose.
Many STEM researchers tell us they wish to collaborate across disciplines and perspectives but lack the confidence to scope relevant SHAPE inputs, understand which approaches might work best or identify the right collaborators for a new piece of research.
Too often, social sciences, humanities and the arts are an afterthought. Sociologists, lawyers, designers or ethicists are brought in to facilitate the successful roll-out of a new treatment, service or product, but once it has been designed. Use this website to bring SHAPE researchers onboard early on.
WE MAKE IDEAS WORK FOR A BETTER WORLD
Edinburgh Innovations is the University’s commercialisation service. We will help you apply your research to the world’s greatest challenges. Be inspired by the innovators who are translating cutting-edge research into real-world solutions and access the support and resources available to help you realise ambitions for your research – unlocking innovation to make ideas work for a better world.