Bilingualism Matters
The University of Edinburgh
Sector: Education
Type: Company Limited by Guarantee (LBG)
Who would you like to contact?
Michaela Turner
Enterprise Executive
michaela.turner@ei.ed.ac.uk
Dr Katarzyna Przybycien
CEO
bilingualism-matters@ed.ac.uk
Problem
Billions of people around the world are bilingual, yet bilingualism remains largely misunderstood and much of the existing research is inaccessible. Research shows that speaking a second language in childhood improves school performance and thinking skills, as well as helping to maintain mental agility in later life. And learning in adulthood also has many positive cognitive effects. However there was a significant lack of research and resources that were accessible outside of academia.
Solution
Bilingualism Matters is a social enterprise supporting a membership community of organisations and individuals who share the commitment to make the research-based evidence on multilingualism and language learning available and accessible to families, communities, and professionals in education, health or policy.
BM Members are international language experts engaging the public with the latest research about bilingualism and language learning. They are part of an international network of research centres and
- engage in collaborative projects to carry out research, or to explore how best to apply research findings in the real world
- provide advice for families, individuals, and professionals from health, education, and policy who are multilingual or work with multilingual communities
- offer tailored information sessions, workshops, and training
BM members all operate slightly differently in order to accommodate the specific needs and languages of their local communities
Timeline of Venture
- Initial project established in 2008
- Research and Information Centre established 2014
- Spin out incorporated August 2021
Sustainable Development Goals addressed
UKRN Services CIC
A combination of inconsistent research practices, training gaps, low confidence and rising external scrutiny threatens UK institutional standards, research funding and reputation.
The 1928 Institute
The University of Oxford
The 1928 Institute targets a lack of representation, systemic data gaps, and under-addressed discrimination facing the British Indian community.
The 1752 Group
University of York
Sexual misconduct by staff is under-reported and under-researched. Higher education institutions in the UK need to be leading the change to prevent cultures of abuse, respond effectively and without inflicting further harm, ensure robust, student-centred reporting and investigation procedures, and implement policies and procedures to eliminate the sexual misconduct of academic, professional services, contracted and temporary staff.
Tabletop R&D
Queen Mary University of London
Game designers, developers and publishers often have questions about their games which requires custom answers, such as evaluation of different strategies, game balance, frequency and types of actions played, victory conditions triggered most often, etc.