ExCASES is a solutions generator designed to tackle issues facing biodiversity renewal that are not covered in the main RENEW themes.

It provides an agile, flexible mechanism to work collaboratively with partners, researchers and organisations from diverse sectors on focused areas and topics.

ExCASES is run by an interdisciplinary team of researchers based at the National Trust and the University of Exeter. Access the ExCASES Padlet, to add your ideas, contacts, suggestions, insights and thoughts to any of our missions. We’d love to see your contributions.

Aim

Our aim is to bring together diverse groups of cross-sectoral researchers, partners and stakeholders to synthesise, develop and critically assess known and novel solutions for biodiversity renewal. We strive to be nimble, innovative, accessible, and transparent, and to redistribute our collective outputs in strategic and empowering ways. The team will do this by convening collaborative groups to co-design and conduct 3-4 dedicated ‘missions’ each year.

More about missions…

Missions are focused, short-term working sessions to synthesise evidence, develop and critically assess new/novel solutions (whether these are ecological, technical, socio-economic or political) and redistribute findings in directed impactful ways. They seek to rapidly respond to emerging topics and changes in the policy landscape and will be undertaken as a rolling process to maximise flexibility and responsiveness. Missions may vary in nature and size, according to the needs of the task at hand. They will be supported by a dedicated team of experienced interdisciplinary researchers throughout the proposal, development and delivery stages.

What makes a good mission?

• Consistent with the overall aims of the RENEW programme
• Well-specified, focused, tractable
• Has the potential to utilise disparate data/information in new ways
• Promotes innovative, joined-up, cross-disciplinary thinking
• Has real-world impact and relevance, and is appealing to decision-/policy-makers and stakeholders
• Is realistically achievable in a 3-6 month timeframe.

Submit your ideas

If you would like to submit a mission idea, please complete the brief form below. Ideas will be considered by the team in relation to their suitability and achievability and selected through consultation with the ExCASES Advisory Board. Once the mission proposal has been received, a team member will be in touch to offer feedback and explore the next steps together. If ideas can’t be taken forward, we may be able to suggest alternative routes for developing the idea with other partners.

Please feel free to contact excases@nationaltrust.org.uk if you have any queries or would like support with completing this form.

Need inspiration? The ExCASES Mission Bank can help.

Download the ExCASES Mission Bank document containing summarised versions of the mission ideas submitted to the team so far. This bank is intended to provide inspiration for new ideas, insights on existing ideas, and inspire opportunities for collaboration.

ExCASES Missions Bank