--- title: "About – research web design since 2010 – Academic Digital" description: "A small team building websites and digital platforms for research projects, and the people they serve, since 2010." url: https://academicdigital.co.uk/about/ --- About # Built by people who understand research Academic Digital builds websites and digital platforms for research projects, networks, and consortia. We have been doing it for over fifteen years, for organisations with a lot to say, limited technical capacity, and a fixed budget. ## Why we exist Most of what we build exists to move knowledge out of institutions and into the hands of practitioners, policymakers, and community organisations who can act on it. Research websites usually outlive the grant that paid for them, so we plan for that from the first conversation – including what happens when the funding stops. ## Who you'll work with Academic Digital is led by Martin Muir. Martin has been building websites for research projects since 2010, while completing a PhD at the University of Dundee on climate change adaptation for freshwater conservation. He went on to work in the university's digital marketing team, and incorporated Academic Digital in 2014. He then spent ten years at the marine conservation charity Blue Ventures, rising to Director of Digital and Communications, and now leads digital and design at Maliasili, an African conservation organisation. So he has sat on every side of the table: as a researcher with a grant to report against, inside a university marketing team, and leading digital teams at international non-profits. He knows what a research website has to do, and that it has to keep working long after the project team has moved on. You work with Martin directly, from the first conversation to launch and beyond. ## Two practices, one team Academic Digital works with universities and research teams. Conservation Digital, our sister non-profit, does the same for conservation organisations. The people are the same; each site shows the work most relevant to the organisations it serves. - **We understand the content** Our background is in academic research, conservation, and global health communication, not generic web work. We can read your outputs and tell you how they should be organised. - **We build things that last** Research websites usually outlive the grant that paid for them. We plan for that from day one, including what happens when the funding stops. - **We are straight about cost** A fixed budget buys a fixed amount. We say plainly what it covers and what it does not, and there are no add-ons or upsells down the line. Trust in best practice ## Standards you can rely on Research projects are trusted with evidence, personal data, and public money. So we hold ourselves to published standards on the things that matter, and we say plainly what we have and have not checked. Each page explains how we deliver it for clients, and gives the statement for this website. - ### [Privacy](https://academicdigital.co.uk/privacy/) Notices, agreements, and every tool checked before any data moves. Read more - ### [Accessibility](https://academicdigital.co.uk/accessibility/) Built to WCAG 2.2 AA, tested, and honest about what has and has not been checked. Read more - ### [Sustainability](https://academicdigital.co.uk/sustainability/) Light pages, verified green hosting, and measured page weights instead of claims. Read more - ### [Ethical AI](https://academicdigital.co.uk/ethical-ai/) AI as a tool with people in charge: no AI-generated photos or video, and protected client data. Read more Working in conservation? Our work for conservation organisations lives at **Conservation Digital**, our sister non-profit, run by the same team. [Visit conservation.digital](https://conservation.digital/)