BU Research Blog

As you may be aware, RCUK have created a Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research which aims to place a greater emphasis on public engagement and ensure that public engagement activities are embedded across all disciplinary areas. Signatures agree to the following principles:

1. UK research organisations have a strategic commitment to public engagement
2. Researchers are recognised and valued for their involvement with public engagement activities
3. Researchers are enabled to participate in public engagement activities through appropriate training, support and opportunities
4. The signatories and supporters of this Concordat will undertake regular reviews of their and the wider research sector’s progress in fostering public engagement across the UK.

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) has helped develop a series of guides to help senior managers, managers of researchers, researchers and supporters of researchers embed these principles into their work. These short, accessible guides can be found here and are recommended reading for all staff involved in research.

The Concordat also identifies that “Public engagement with research describes a diversity of activities including:

• Participating in festivals
• Working with museums / galleries / science centres and other cultural venues
• Creating opportunities for the public to inform the research questions being tackled
• Researchers and public working together to inform policy
• Presenting to the public (e.g. public lectures or talks)
• Involving the public as researchers (e.g. web based experiments)
• Engaging with young people to inspire them about research (e.g. workshops in schools)
• Contributing to new media enabled discussion forums”

If you would like to learn more about public engagement, and how we can support you to develop public engagement activities around your research, please do not hesitate to contact Becca on redwards@bournemouth.ac.uk or 01202 961206.