BU Research Blog

What is public engagement?

The most widely accepted definition of public engagement is that given by the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE):

“Public engagement describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.” (www.publicengagement.ac.uk 2016)

This could take place at any part of the research lifecycle and should go beyond outreach and should instead focus on creating two way dialogue between researchers and the “public”.  That could be as simple as incorporating an open discussion into a public lecture, but could be as detailed as doing a piece of research in partnership with the public.  How you engage will be heavily influenced by what your research is about, and who is society that piece of research has the potential to impact. A good general recommendation however is to plan from the beginning how you will engage your stakeholders at different milestones throughout the project, and consider a mixture of both dissemination and more active engagement through the cycle of the project.

Who the “public” are, should vary depending on your research.  You are unlikely to generate significant impact by collectively viewing people as the general public, however you may be more successful by considering instead who your research users may be and instead focussing on engaging those pockets of the public.

For more information see the NCCPE website or contact Adam Morris, Engagement Officer

Public Engagement Funding

Ideally public engagement should be built into your initial funding bid as you should be planning your engagement from the conception of your project, however if this is not possible then there may be other avenues available to you.

To sign up for notifications of external funding available for public engagement activity add the public engagement category to your research professional profile and you will be emailed regularly with updates on public engagement funding available.

Public Engagement Events

Cafe Scientifique

Come and learn about the latest ideas in science and technology, all for the price of a cup of coffee or glass of wine! Taking place on the first Tuesday every month (except January and August) at 6.30pm,  join us at Black Cherry Cafe for a fun, informative and friendly evening. To learn more visit the website or email the public engagement team.