Introducing our new Policy Theme: Dates for your diary for 2021/22

Policy Engagement: planned opportunities for 2021-22 – starting with a 90 min introductory session on 2 July

One of the development areas which Fellows and Innovators from our Network have asked for is policy engagement – how policy is made, how it is informed through research, and how to engage with policymakers. Over the next year, we are offering a range of opportunities on this theme, and we encourage you to pick and choose according to your interest and experience. Bookings will open three months ahead of each session; this email is intended to give you an overview of what’s coming, so that you can plan ahead and save dates as needed.

We have a growing line-up of speakers and contributors including:

• Prof Nick Pearce, currently director of the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath, former head of Downing Street’s Policy Unit and special advisor in various Whitehall departments
• Sir Paul Grice, formerly of the Scottish Parliament, and now VC at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
• Dr Molly Morgan Jones, Director of Policy Engagement, British Academy
• UK Parliament Knowledge Exchange Team
• Your fellow FLFs and Innovators

For those of you starting out and curious about how and why to engage with policy:

• BOOKING NOW: 2 July 2021, 11:00-12:30 – Introduction to Policy Making – information and panel discussions organised by the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy
• 26 October 2021 – 60 min Understanding how UK Parliament uses Research – a short session from the Parliamentary Office for Science & Technology’s Knowledge Exchange Team
• 3 November 2021 – 90 min Policy Engagement Surgery – How to get started – a session to bring all your questions to ask an expert about how to get off the ground with making contact with policy makers

For those of you already making the first steps or already working with policymakers:

• w/c 17 January 2022 (date TBC) – Policy Workshop to bring you into contact with policy professionals from government, industry, learned societies and civil society. The workshop will provide a forum to debate, cross-examine, and re-evaluate issues that are of direct relevance to both researchers and policymakers. This session will be by application only and places will be very limited because we will be inviting policymakers to meet with you based on your discipline area and interests
• 25 Feb 2022 – 90 min Policy Engagement Surgery – How to have more impact – aimed at those of you who have some policy experience but wish to have more impact or are facing challenges with your current policy engagement. Bring your questions and challenges to ask the expert

And for all of you interested in how your fellow FLF+s are engaging with policy:

We will be putting on some ad hoc 60 min ‘How I…’ sessions – to hear examples of practice (and lessons learned) from other Fellows and Early Career Researchers who have engaged with policy makers in different ways. We will also be hearing the opposite perspective: policymakers sharing their experience of working with researchers. The first of these will take place on 13 December 2021 with Matt Ryan, FLF at Southampton University and Associate Professor in Governance and Public Policy.

This is just the first tranche of events and more will come next year. Bookings will open three months before each date. Please let us know what else you would like to see, and we will do our best to include it in the next round of events.

Of course, don’t forget that there are other related offerings via the FLF Development Network:

• PLUS funds: if you want to organise something yourself (or with other FLFs), then you may have an idea which is eligible for PLUS funding of up to £25k
• Mentoring: you will soon be invited to complete a matching form to enable us to find mentor for you – you could use this opportunity to be matched to a mentor who can give advice on policy making