Blog

Blog posts from Cardiff University Social Science Research Park.

From Evidence to Action: SPARK’s Public Sector Partnerships

27 May 2026

SPARK currently brings together 17 social science research centres committed to improving public policy and public services through evidence, collaboration and innovation. A defining feature of SPARK is its extensive […]

From Research to Action: Why Social Science Needs Design

20 April 2026

Governments, universities and public institutions produce vast amounts of research on society’s most pressing challenges – from climate transition and housing shortages to public service reform and democratic trust. Yet […]

Reimagining Alcohol Free, Night-Time Economy Social Activities in Cathays

26 March 2026

Across the UK, alcohol remains central to the social currency of the night‑time economy. Despite some indicators of shifts in attitudes towards alcohol in younger demographics, evening-based activities for young […]

Doing Research Differently: Principles for equity in creative and participatory research settings

27 November 2025

In April 2025, a group of researchers, practitioners and creatives came together at a Method Hackathon hosted by the Creative and Innovative Research Methods Community of Practice and SPARK. The […]

SPARKing Data Use: Introducing Social Data Science and Platforms

27 October 2025

SPARK is currently running our first run of a new series of talks and demonstrations, under the banner of ‘SPARKing Data Use, Introducing…’. In our first series of 8 sessions, […]

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 3: Towards a Wiser Society: A Roadmap for SPARK

21 August 2025

How do you build a place – and a culture – where wisdom can grow? The final blog in the series brings the discussion home to SPARK, Cardiff University’s Social […]

Creative Disruption: A brief guide to convening a method hackathon

7 August 2025

In April 2025, the Creative and Participatory Research Methods Community of Practice hosted a method hackathon with SPARK. The event explored how to challenge knowledge hierarchies, amplify underrepresented voices, and […]

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 2: Progress and Obstacles to a Wiser Society

4 August 2025

Why does wisdom remain on the margins of research—and what’s stopping us from putting it centre stage? In the second instalment of the series, we shift from vision to reality. […]

The Role of Social Sciences in Creating a Wiser Society – Part 1: The Need for a Wiser Society

24 July 2025

In this powerful opening to our blog series, Professor Chris Taylor asks what it would mean for universities and social science communities to move beyond generating knowledge, and instead commit […]

Using administrative data to create impact: Engaging with the Senedd

14 July 2025

Katy Huxley is a Research Fellow for the ADR Wales Skills and Employability research theme and at SPARK based out of Cardiff University. Here, Katy describes the process of giving […]

Unless otherwise stated, the views contained within this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cardiff University.