Understanding the changing public engagement agenda within higher education and research

The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) is part of the Beacons for Public Engagement Scheme. The NCCPE aims to create a culture within UK Higher Education where public engagement is formalised and embedded as a valued and recognised activity. The NCCPE, working with Involve, has recently been developing a Manifesto for Public Engagement.

This focus on embedding public engagement is as important to research institutions as it is to Government. Funders are increasingly expecting research institutions to make a strategic commitment to supporting public engagement; to invest accordingly from their core funding; and to ensure that individual research proposals, for instance, include a clear rationale and plan for how the public will be engaged with the project. The increasing emphasis on the need for public engagement in research is reflected more widely. For example, as part of an ongoing review of how it allocates resources, the EPSRC will no longer fund public engagement activities via the Partnerships for Public Engagement (PPE) Scheme. Instead, it will be embedded through-out research and training investments.

The Government has outlined suggestions for Research Councils to achieve more with less when it comes to Science funding. Universities, in common with other publicly funded sectors, will as a result be under more scrutiny for the money they receive each year; the public and politicians are increasingly prepared to challenge such investment. In recent work [not yet published] the NCCPE argues that public engagement is even more relevant in this climate of cuts. It suggests that, through public engagement, the sector can demonstrate its openness, transparency and accountability, which in turn will help to ensure that there is more informed debate about the allocation of public funds.

Research institutions understand that public engagement is an important commitment. This is highlighted by ongoing involvement of the public in new research questions and debate. Examples of Sciencewise-ERC’s contributions to this area include identifying areas of public concern about geoengineering, and whether research into hybrids and chimera embryos should be allowed in the future.

The key question for researchers and universities moving forward, is how to fund and deliver public engagement in this new environment.