Public engagement describes the many ways in which higher education institutions and their staff and students can connect and share their work with the public. Done well, it generates mutual benefit, with all parties learning from each other through sharing knowledge, expertise and skills. In the process, it can build trust, understanding and collaboration, and increase the sector's relevance to, and impact on, civil society.

http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/

The ‘public’ are not just a homogeneous group of people; they are everyone from the primary school child who in ten years time may either be your PhD student or a merchant banker, to your elderly aunt who is wondering what her taxes are spent on......Collectively they are more experienced, cleverer, more creative and more perceptive than you can hope to be. Individually they can be challenging, fun, grateful for your time and generous with their own. They are the people who ultimately will live with the consequences of your discoveries, good or bad, and they want to know what you think.’

Dr Clare Davy, Research Scientist, Virology, MRC: National Institute for Medical Research

PE with research could mean:

Communicating research activity and outcomes

  Listening to public views and concerns  Involving the public as researchers  Developing collaborative research and

co-inquiry projects

PE - good reasons to engage:

It can help improve the quality and impact of research It raises aspirations It can help build trust It challenges assumptions, sharpens thinking and

injects energy It contributes to accountability It develops transferable skills which can aid your

employment and promotion prospects It improves relationships between the university and

its neighbours It is important to the funders & can draw down

funding

The Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research

A joint statement from Research Councils UK (RCUK), the Funding Councils, academies and research charities which:

describes expectations and responsibilities of research funders with respect to public engagement;

aims to increase the quality of public engagement by reducing barriers and rewarding the efforts of researchers;

seeks to avoid compulsion or the creation of additional burden.

The Concordat outlines four key principles:

• UK research organisations have a strategic commitment to public engagement.

• Researchers are recognised and valued for their involvement with public engagement activities.

• Researchers are enabled to participate in public engagement activities through appropriate training, support and opportunities.

• 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 question should not be is our research any good, but what it is good for?”

- Professor Chris Brink, Vice-Chancellor, Newcastle University

Web Resources

Briefing on the Concordathttp://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/scisoc/NCCPEbriefingsResearchersp5.pdf NCCPEhttp://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/ RCUK guide for researchershttp://

www.vitae.ac.uk/cms/files/upload/1.RCUK%20Benefits%20of%20PE%20for%20researcrers.pdf

 VITAE: The Engaging Researcherhttp://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/The_engaging_researcher_2010.pdf GACERhttp://communityresearchcanada.ca/