The Forensic (Science), Investigation and Technology Information Network (FIT-IN) seeks to foster a knowledge sharing network to improve cross-border collaboration between academia, policing partnerships, and related stakeholders.
FIT-IN aims to improve operational effectiveness through information sharing, cross-border and cross-organisational collaborative research and innovation that will:
- Enable areas of specific strength to work together
- Avoid project duplication
- Produce research salient to operational requirement
- Improve the transition from research concept to operational implementation, thus having the best possible impact
- Aid in the furtherment of an evidence base for forensic practice.
The Network provides a space for sharing research and innovation ideas and the outputs of collaborative projects, maximising engagement with existing research repositories.
FIT-IN promotes inclusivity in partnership working and a connectivity between practice, research and teaching. Thus the network will:
- Provide a launch pad for collaborative initiatives
- Foster both a top down and bottom up approach to research and innovation
- Promote practice and research led teaching
- Be inclusive, widening participation and dissemination of research to all organisational and academic levels
- Promote and share best practice in partnership working within both research and teaching.
More widely, the network aims to contribute to:
- An empirical evidence base for forensic science practice
- A culture of research and innovation within operational forensic practice
- Ensuring robust and efficient forensic processes
- A synergy between practice, research and teaching.
All FIT-IN related Twitter-based social media can be accessed here: #FIT_INetwork.
To get involved with the Network and find out more about police-academia partnerships, please contact Dr Helen Earwaker at the Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, University of Portsmouth – email helen.earwaker@port.ac.uk, telephone +44 (0) 2392 845059 and Twitter @HelenEarwaker.