The Bath Policy Engagement Academy

Connecting University of Bath researchers and policymakers through fellowships, networks and capacity building to enable evidence-informed policymaking.

Our aims

The Bath Policy Engagement Academy (BPEA) is a pilot project led by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) to advance the University’s policy engagement activities.

The University of Bath is piloting a new academy to unify our policy engagement training and activities across the University, and to expand our policy engagement activities regionally, nationally and internationally.

We want to enable a greater portfolio of our researchers' expertise, evidence and experience to be accessible to policymakers in order that our research can contribute to improved public policy.

The new Academy, hosted by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR), builds on the IPR’s successful policy impact programmes and policy engagement work that has been delivered over the past eleven years.

BPEA is funded via the UKRI Policy Support Fund, ESRC and EPSRC Impact Acceleration Accounts.

Opportunities for policymakers

Through the IPR and Bath Policy Engagement Academy there are a number of opportunities for policymakers and policy decision-makers working regionally, nationally and internationally to connect with Bath researchers.

These include bespoke masterclasses, workshops and training events, as well as via our IPR Policy Fellowship Programme, connecting senior policy professionals with University of Bath academics to help address policy challenges and questions via a tailored programme of meetings with select academics.

In addition to our flagship IPR Policy Fellowship Programme, we offer specialist streams for AI, Net Zero and Health — mirroring the University's core research strengths and local and national policy priorities.

Learn more about the Policy Fellowship Programme

Opportunities for University of Bath researchers

The Bath Policy Engagement Academy offers new opportunities for our research community to increase their skills and understanding of policy engagement and offers guidance on routes to successful policy engagement.

This includes bespoke cohort training, 1-2-1 coaching and development opportunities delivered by the IPR, new online policy engagement guides, examples from academic peers who have applied policy engagement in practice and signposting of newly announced external policy engagement opportunities that may be on interest to our community.

Access BPEA guides

The Bath Policy Engagement Academy

Find out how you can engage with the University as a policymaker and how you can get support as an academic.

Connect with the Bath Policy Engagement Team

Meet the Policy Engagement team