The National Trust has recently published a new research strategy, which outlines key research areas for the Trust in the next five years.
Strategy and research focus
The strategy focusses on academic and conservation research; from practical applied research testing conservation methodologies, to challenge-led research to pure or ‘fundamental’ research uncovering new historical information about a property.
This research is treated as distinct from the market research conducted by the Trust’s internal Audience Insight team and from its routine monitoring and data collection activity (governed by its Conservation Data guidelines), which provides primary sources for research.
Top priorities
The Trust’s top priority remains the conservation of the 350 historic houses, parks and gardens and their collections, 775 miles of coastline and 248,000 hectares of land in its care.
The Trust needs research that helps it address the physical condition of its assets and explores how they are responding to change. As an evidence-based organisation it also needs to understand the world we live in and how this may change in the future, which in turn informs policy. During the next five years it will prioritise research on:
- Heritage science
- Climate change
- Energy and infrastructure
Find out more about why the National Trust does research and Download the National Trust’s Research Strategy