RCUK is committed to engaging the public with research and believes that public engagement can enhance research by helping it to remain relevant to society and be responsive to wider social concerns and so helps research to maximise its economic and societal impact. RCUK provides a variety of public engagement opportunities and funding schemes for researchers and there is a wealth of excellent public engagement practice within and beyond the HE and research sectors. However, without a culture that values, recognises and supports public engagement, researchers are not always supported by their institutions or departments to undertake these activities. Embedding public engagement within the HE sector has been, and remains, a priority of the RCUK Public Engagement with Research strategy.
In 2008, RCUK partnered with the UK Funding Councils and Wellcome Trust on the Beacons for Public Engagement initiative (ending in December 2011). Six Beacons were established around the UK to pilot new methods to embed public engagement within their organisations, alongside the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. As the Beacons initiative comes to an end, RCUK recognises that further support to embed public engagement in the sector required. This new funding complements the support provided to individual researchers via the project and grant based approach of individual Research Councils and RCUK PER programmes, as well as RCUK policy mechanisms such as the Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research.
The aim of the call is to:
- create a culture within the grant holding HEIs where excellent public engagement with research is formalised and embedded through:
- strategic commitment to public engagement
- integration of public engagement into core research activities of HEIs, including measuring quality and impact of public engagement with research activities
- reward and recognition of researchers and staff involved in public engagement
- encouraging and supporting researchers and staff at all levels to become involved (e.g. by building capacity for public engagement amongst researchers)
- create networks within institutions to share good practice, celebrate their work and ensure that those involved in public engagement feel supported
- contribute to a wider network supportive of public engagement including the NCCPE, other recipient HEIs and the wider HE community
- build on experience to develop best practice that recognises the two-way nature of public engagement with research
The Public Engagement with Research: Catalysts call will be open from Monday 12 September until 12:00 Thursday 17th November.
For further information and the call document please go to the RCUK website