1. HCRC and users John Lee Deputy Director, HCRC

2. HCRC research Communication, from a cognitive angle Psycholinguistics Dialogue Cognition/learning Language technology Some fairly detailed science, with applications most obviously in technology

3. HCRC users (as traditionally conceived) Wider research community Technology-related industry –Specifically in language/speech Wider areas of industry –For e.g. document management Public bodies (sometimes) –E.g. Dept. of Health Educators (sometimes)

4. Chris Harty’s observations on HCRC Annual Reports Mention of users heavily couched in “RoP” and ESRC-oriented rhetoric Often tied to issues of research funding –users as partners (e.g. in EU projects) Repeated claim that “basic research” is central, even when applications unclear –“This reveals a potential problem of reconciling the innovative and novel nature of much academic research and the day-to-day concerns and expectations of the non-academic world ” Problem of “overhead” in user interaction Ephemeral existence of URCC …

5. Why? HCRC discussion of “users” was driven by our perception of ESRC demands –(no-one else recognises the term …) Basic research was often distant from applications –trying to interest the outside world in our research was (and is) difficult and time-consuming We did not have the resource for a sustained and dedicated approach to user engagement We engaged various kinds of users quite successfully, but failed on commercialisation

6. What now? No ESRC driver since end of Centre funding Structural changes: LTG, MCG etc. wound down Major current initiative: the Edinburgh-Stanford Link Funded by Scottish Enterprise: central focus on commercialisation –of language and speech technologies Full-time commercialisation manager Substantial success in greatly improving interaction with companies –also interaction with other public bodies –development of Entrepreneurship courses

7. Does it set the research agenda? Not really … Academics are more engaged with companies’ immediate problems But by and large these are addressed by using current technologies (via consultancy) This sets the application agenda, but the research agenda is not set by users (and mostly doesn’t interest them very much) –companies (especially small ones) are not easily engaged by much other than immediate problems