BVSC Research works with organisations and partnerships across Birmingham and the wider region to deliver research, evaluation and community-led insight.

Our work is shaped by a simple principle: we lead research and evaluation with, for and about the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector.

• With the sector, by working collaboratively with voluntary organisations, communities and Community Researchers.
• For the sector, by supporting organisations to evaluate their work, demonstrate impact and strengthen learning.
• About the sector, by producing research and insight that highlights the challenges, strengths and contributions of Birmingham’s voluntary and community sector.

Through our two strands – Research, Evaluation and Learning and Community Research – we support organisations to generate evidence, strengthen learning and ensure that community voices shape research and decision-making.

We work with a wide range of partners across the voluntary sector, public services and academia.

Voluntary and Community Organisations



We work closely with voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations across Birmingham.

Our team understands the realities of delivering services within tight funding environments and complex partnership arrangements. We design research and evaluation approaches that are practical, proportionate and focused on learning.

We regularly support organisations to:

• evaluate projects and services
• demonstrate impact to funders
• develop monitoring and evaluation frameworks
• strengthen learning and reflection
• build research and evaluation skills

Through our community research work, we also provide opportunities for organisations to engage in community-led research, connect with researchers and develop research capacity.

Funders and Commissioners

BVSC Research provides independent research and evaluation to support funders and commissioners to understand the impact of programmes and services.

Our work helps strengthen accountability, learning and evidence-informed decision-making.

We support funders and commissioners through:

• programme and service evaluation
• research and needs assessments
• community insight and engagement
• mixed-methods research
• strategic learning and reflection

Our position within Birmingham’s voluntary sector also enables us to bring valuable insight into how services operate in practice and how programmes affect communities.

Academic and Research Partners



BVSC Research works with universities and research institutions to support collaborative and participatory research.

Through our experience in community engagement and voluntary sector partnerships, we help ensure that research connects meaningfully with communities and practitioners.

We support academic partners by:

• facilitating community engagement and participatory research
• connecting researchers with voluntary organisations and communities
• supporting Community Researcher involvement in projects
• contributing to collaborative research partnerships and funding bids

Through CHERP, we also support researchers to work alongside Community Researchers and voluntary organisations in inclusive and participatory research.

Public Sector and System Partners

We work with public sector organisations and partnerships seeking to strengthen understanding of community needs and improve services.

This includes work with:

• local authorities
• NHS and health system partners
• regional partnerships and collaborative programmes

Our research and evaluation helps ensure that policy and service design are informed by both evidence and community experience.

Working Together



BVSC Research works flexibly with partners across different stages of research and programme development.

This may include:

• designing evaluation frameworks
• delivering independent research or evaluation
• supporting participatory research approaches
• facilitating community engagement
• contributing to collaborative research partnerships

If you would like to explore working with BVSC Research, we would be happy to hear from you.

📧 [email protected]