The International Music Education Research Centre (iMerc), directed by Professor Graham Welch and Dr Evangelos Himonides, is a team-based world-renowned virtual community centre for interdisciplinary research in music and the social sciences. Over the past decade, members of the Centre have been awarded 55+ external research grants worth £5m+ from UK research councils, Government departments in the UK and mainland Europe, local government regions in England, the European Commission, NGOs and leading UK charities. Findings from the team members' substantial body of research have had a significant impact on policy for successive Governments and NGOs in the UK and overseas, as well as on teaching and learning in the music classroom and outside. Research has led to curriculum innovation, increased participation and investment in music for all ages, including those with special needs, benefiting millions of children and young people attending schools in England and around the world. The impact derives from a wide range of externally funded studies, embracing music learning across all education sectors. iMerc affiliated academics are also involved in one of the largest graduate programmes in music education globally, at the UCL Institute of Education, with up to 100 students at any one time studying for Masters or Doctoral degrees. At the heart of the Centre's work is collaborative networking, with much of the research being team-based in partnership with key stakeholders in formal, non-formal, informal, and blended mode educational settings.
