Via this page, you will find regular updates of policy engagement opportunities, including policy secondments and pairings, events and training and details of government consultations and calls for evidence.

To discuss any aspects of this, or for further support, please contact the IPR.

Policy secondments and fellowships

POST and RSC PhD fellowship

POST and the Royal Society of Chemists (RSC) are offering a 13-week funded fellowship to RSC members undertaking or having recently finished a PhD, where you'll be based in Parliament supporting its use of evidence research. Deadline to apply is Friday 17 May 2024.

British Ecological Society Fellowship

Applications for the BES Fellowship 2025 are now open to postgraduate students in their second or third year of study, registered for a PhD who are current BES members. The successful applicant for this fellowship will be based in UK Parliament, supporting its use of research evidence, potentially outside their immediate area of expertise. The fellowship lasts for 13-weeks and will start at the earliest in January 2025. Deadline to apply is Wednesday 12 June 2024.

UKRI policy fellowships

Many UKRI policy fellowships are currently open for applications. For a full list of opportunities, visit the UKRI website.

Upcoming events and training

Policy engagement for early career researchers

An online session, run by The Academia Europaea and Cardiff University, targeted at Early Career Researchers interested in understanding how their research can generate impact beyond their disciplinary areas, with practical tips on how to engage policymakers. This event will take place online on Wednesday 18 May 2024 (13:00-14:30).

Empowerment & Ethics at the Edge: The Benefits & Risks of Edge Technologies

The Foundation for Science and Technology in collaboration with The PETRAS National Centre of Excellence has organised this hybrid event to explore how technologies at the edge can revolutionise citizens’ experiences, while ensuring ethical and security considerations remain at the forefront. The discussion will illuminate the benefits and risks of this technological evolution, and how to ensure a balanced perspective that prioritises the well-being of citizens. This event will take place online on Wednesday 22 May (18:00-19:30).

Policy engagement training session for early career researchers

As part of the pilot Bath Policy Engagement Academy (BPEA), the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) will be running a policy engagement training session for early career researchers. The session will be delivered by Professor Nick Pearce (Director of the IPR), Dr Emma Gibbard (Research Impact Manager, Research & Innovation Services) and Amy Thompson (Head of Policy Programmes and Communications, IPR). It will include one-to-one training with participants to help them develop a policy engagement strategy appropriate to their research. This event will take place online on Thursday 23 May 2024 (13:00-15:00).

Using surveys to evaluate impact

Evaluating policy engagement and impact is notoriously complex - policy impact can be diffuse and hard to track. Surveys are one tool for collecting quantitative and qualitative data on the impact and efficacy of a programme or piece of research. The aim of tis event is to familiarise the audience with how to design effective surveys to evaluate the impact of their work as well as analyse and interpret survey responses. This event will take place on Wednesday 29 May 2024 (14:00-15:30).

Critical Minerals - how can science and technology help deliver the UK strategy?

This hybrid event is chaired by Rt Hon the Lord Willets FRS, Chair of the Foundation for Science and Technology, with speakers Nusrat Ghani MP, Minister of State, FCDO; Dr Sarah Gordon, CEO and co-founder, Satarla; Dr Pierre Josso, Deputy Director, Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, British Geological Survey; and Dr Rhys Charles, Technology Transfer Fellow, Swansea University. The event will explore the major contribution to delivering the UK Government's Critical Minerals strategy science and technology can make, from more efficient extraction, effective and commercially viable recycling and new materials. This event will take place on Monday 3 June 2024 in-person at The Geological Society, London (17:30-20:30), or online (18:00-19:30). The event is free to attend.

CSaP Annual Conference

The CSaP Anuual Conference brings together policy professionals, academic experts and business leaders for a day of talks and presentations, and to share and discuss issues and ideas on a range of topics from innovation and economic growth, to climate and sustainability. Takes place Tuesday 18 June 2024 (9:30-18:00) at the Royal Society in London.

Evidence requests

POST Note contributions

POSTnotes are short evidence briefings produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). POST welcomes researchers with relevant expertise to get in touch in relation to upcoming POSTnotes:

To contribute evidence to a POSTnote email the contact listed above a short introduction to yourself and your research

  • state which POSTnote you are responding to
  • briefly outline your area of expertise relevant to the POSTnote
  • you can also mention relevant skills, experience and knowledge
  • provide a link to your online profile
  • provide open access links to your most relevant published papers and blogs

Consultations and calls for evidence

The UK Government website has a live list of open consultations and calls for evidence. While this IPR webpage will highlight notable opportunities, many others may be available on the UK Government site.

Select Committee inquiries

The UK Government website has a live list of open Select Committee enquiries. You can filter by keywords and date.

Building policy networks

No opportunities currently advertised