• Steps to Independence - (Funded by DfES, The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, OPSIS and RNIB)  The Steps to Independence website was developed by the National Library for the Blind. The content authors were Sue Pavey, Graeme Douglas, Mike McLinden, and Steve McCall of the Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR) at the University of Birmingham.
• NETWORK 1000: Surveying the changing needs of visually impaired people (VICTAR) (Funded by Community Fund) - The network aims to generate info regarding the needs, circumstances and opinions of people with a visual impairment in the UK
• Network 1000 - phase 2 (Funded by Vision 2020) - Analysis, dissemination and sampling maintenance of Phase 1 The network aims to generate info regarding the needs, circumstances and opinions of people with a visual impairment in the UK
• The Educational Inclusion of Children with Visual Impairment in Developing Countries (VICTAR) (Funded by Sightsavers)
• Communication and Social Participation: Collaborative Technologies for Interaction And Learning (COSPATIAL) COSPATIAL is a 3-year (from February 2009) collaborative, technology-focused project exploring the use of innovative technologies for supporting social skills understanding for children on the autism spectrum as well as those who are typically developing. It is a €1.65m project funded by the European Commission through the FP7 research programme. The research team is multidisciplinary, comprising computer scientists, psychologists, design engineers and educators, spanning 5 sites in 3 countries: the Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham in the UK; the Foundation Bruno Kessler – a research institute based in Trento, Italy (the lead partner); and the Universities of Haifa and Bar-Ilan in Israel.
• Inclusive Libraries Funded by Esmee Fairbairn and the Rayne Foundation.
• ECHOES II.  A 3 year project which started in 2008 (funded by EPSRC/ESRC)
  

Language, Discourse and Society

• Bilingual database (Funded by British Telecom through the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists)

Professional Learning and Pedagogy

• Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) Pilots Evaluation Project (Funded by the Department of Health) This project will evaluate a number of pilot selection processes and existing selection processes for specialty trainees in the NHS.
• Systematic review: E-learning (CRMDE)
• NHS Genetic Education and Development Centre (CRMD) (Funded by DoH)

Governance, Management and Leadership

• Teacher Education and Controversial Issues : A Comparative Study. This 14 month project funded by the British Academy, is explicitly international and comparative in nature  and is based on collaboration between two universities in England and two in South Africa. As with all comparative education research, it seeks to enable researchers to better understand what is done and why in both the ‘other’ country and their own in order to develop theory and research methodology and with an eye to possible reform and improvement.
• Rethinking the Needs of International Students: critical perspectives on the internationalisation of UK higher education institutions. This ESRC-funded seminar series is inspired by the current fervour to ‘internationalise’ among UK higher education institutions, and by the unprecedented growth of enrolment of students from outside the UK.  It seeks to challenge stereotypes of international students, explore their experiences, and contribute to the  effective internationalisation of universities.  Participants include academics, students, university international officers, university and government policy makers, and advocacy groups. Contact Michele Schweisfurth for further information.
• A study of Indian influences on progressive education in Britain during the early twentieth century and their subsequent impact (funded by the British Academy)
• The impact of UK educational experiences on Chinese returnees' lives and careers. This British Academy-funded project develops the focus on international students to explore their experiences when they return to their home countries – in this case, China.  How have Chinese students’ experiences in the UK shaped their thinking, their skills, their views of the world and of themselves, and their employability?  The study uses a combination of a questionnaire survey and interviews to understand the process of reintegration from the students’ points of view. Contact Michele Schweisfurth for further details.

Governance, Management and Leadership; Professional Learning and Pedagogy; Disability, Inclusion and Special Needs

• Extended School Provision in Birmingham: An Evaluation (Funded by Birmingham City Council)