Because the evidence matters

We are passionate about using evidence to help you develop your business.

Because the evidence matters

We are passionate about using evidence to help you develop your business

About Blue Squirrel Research Ltd.

Blue Squirrel Research Ltd. is a research consultancy that can support you to gather evidence to support your business development. Our team can provide a wide-range of research services including: evaluation, business planning, market research and social impact measurement. The founders of Blue Squirrel, Meanu and Richard, have over a decade’s worth of experience in research and consultancy. They both hold doctorates, whilst Richard is also a Professor of Social Innovation. With BSR they manage a small team who work primarily with SMEs /VCSEs who are in need of high-quality insights into their business. If you need answers and want to work with a reliable team of experts, then contact BSR – because the evidence matters.

Our Founders

Richard Hazenberg
Richard HazenbergCo-Founder
Having completed his MA in Politics and Contemporary History in 2004, Richard joined South Yorkshire Police where he served as a Police Constable until 2009, before joining the University of Northampton as a PhD Researcher focused on social entrepreneurship. Richard completed his PhD in 2012, before launching the Institute for Social Innovation and Impact in 2014. In 2017 he became Professor of Social Innovation. Richard has research expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods, and research interests that span the public, private and third sectors. He is an internationally recognised academic who has conducted research around the world, and in the UK has advised the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.
Meanu Bajwa-Patel
Meanu Bajwa-PatelCo-Founder
Meanu is a former Deputy Head Teacher with over 15 years’ experience teaching in secondary education. Since this time Meanu has completed a PhD at the University of Northampton, focused on special educational needs, inclusion policy and families. Meanu has considerable qualitative research expertise, and has presented her research at academic conferences across the world. Meanu specialises in education and disadvantage, specifically focused on gender and inclusivity, and has advised the Ministry of Defence and worked with the Department for Education on policy innovation and evaluation.

Services

Evaluating your work by gathering evidence to show the impact of interventions, programmes and policies is our bread and butter. Our considerable methodological expertise combined with experience working with organisations ranging from local charities and voluntary groups, to national educational institutions and start-ups means we have the skills to work with any customer. We can help you develop a theory of change, measure the impact of one you already have in place and evaluate services that you provide. Working alongside our clients we develop a bespoke evaluation to ensure we meet your requirements and deliver valid results to your timescale and budget.

Developing a business is a challenge in any economic climate, using data analysis to help you understand the market and your place in it can help to generate new markets and consolidate existing relationships. Our researchers are familiar with quantitative and qualitative research and can undertake a range of research to suit different sectors and budgets. Analysing the different aspects of the market, utilising techniques including SWOT and PESTLE, alongside primary methods such as surveys, observations and focus groups can provide the evidence you need to help you develop your business.

Social impact measurement allows businesses to fully understand the full range of areas where their work has an impact, from the social and environmental, through to the economic. We can measure outputs and outcomes to help us determine the impact of your projects, which we can then demonstrate in reports or presentations to suit your audience. Understanding the wider impacts that your business is having can help you find new investment, secure current funding and retain and recruit staff. Recognising that the work you do is making a difference and being able to evidence this in an accessible way is crucial to ensuring success and development.

We commissioned Blue Squirrel to undertake an evaluation of our young carers services. In doing this they demonstrated a really good understanding of the context of young carers and a genuine interest in this area of work which I felt really supported the effectiveness of the evaluation.

The feedback from the staff, the families and the young people who were interviewed for the evaluation was very positive, they felt at ease and able to talk openly with Richard and Meanu. Their accessible and friendly approach was particularly invaluable in relation to relating to the young people and their parents.

The timescale for the report was very tight and the data set large but Meanu and Richard worked through this in a very timely and effective manner and maintained good communication with us throughout.

The final evaluation report was very comprehensive and highlighted a number of key areas for us to focus on going forward. It will be an invaluable piece of work.

Thank you Meanu & Richard.

Mandy, Spurgeons Childrens Charity

We have used Blue Squirrel on a range of projects now and have been impressed with both their efficiency and the quality of the research. They’re a great team to work with too.

Firesand, Spurgeons Childrens Charity

Social Value

Social value refers to the positive value created for society by organisations and people. It is becoming an increasingly important part of our economy, as the private sector seeks to demonstrate social sustainability, and the public sector looks to ensure better social outcomes for citizens. Whether you work in the public sector and are looking to map out social value in your procurement and commissioning; or you operate in the private sector and are seeking a way to market your social value to society, Blue Squirrel can help. In a world where consumers and service-users are looking for more socially responsible organisations, our research can provide you with the evidence to ensure that you deliver positive social value.

How can our research help clients to measure, scale and achieve social value?

Meanu and Richard have over a decade’s worth of experience in research and consultancy, they both hold doctorates and Richard is a Professor of Social Innovation at the UoN. With BSR they manage a small team who work primarily with SMEs /VCSEs who are in need of high-quality insights into their business. They can provide a range of services from SIM, to service evaluations, business to business and market research to help you develop new ideas, measure performance or understand your customer’s needs. If you need answers and want to work with a reliable team of experts, then contact BSR – because the evidence matters.