The University of Liverpool is exploiting the power of interest in heritage to engage the public in their research activities and co-produce material. In a collaborative project between the Institute of Popular Music and the Open Eye Gallery, various community groups were enticed to explore the archives of each organization. This culminated in a public event presenting exhibits from the archives selected and curated by participants with live jazz accompaniment arranged through the support of Liverpooljazz.

A film was also made of the process which will be available to view from the Institute of Popular Music. The project generated such interest in the archives that a regular slot was secured on Radio Merseyside, a documentary has recently been filmed by Bay TV and enquiries have come in from an international journalist and providers of other exhibition spaces.

This initiative is one of a range of projects funded through the University of Liverpool’s Knowledge Exchange & Impact (KE&I) Voucher scheme which aims to engage the University with external organisations to develop new initiatives, share knowledge and implement research findings in the world outside of academia.

In the humanities and social sciences, KE&I Vouchers provide an invaluable source of funding for academics to substantially boost their capability for building partnerships with external bodies. This stimulates longer term collaborations which lead to high level impact through further knowledge exchange, research and through securing larger grants.