A) Strategic Commitment
Principle 1: UK research organisations (ROs) have a strategic commitment to public engagement:
Research organisations should understand public engagement appropriate to their context.
Public engagement should be embedded within RO missions, strategies, and operational plans.
ROs must recognise that senior public engagement champions are essential to fostering public engagement.
What we do to support Principle 1:
The University Strategic Plan aims to promote the University’s work through public outreach and engagement.
The University’s Research Strategy details how we will share our research with others, bringing about positive changes in culture, practice and society through public engagement and impact activities. This is done through:
Encouraging our researchers to build strategic collaborations that maximise their research and impact potential.
Working in partnership with appropriate communities and organisations in the public and private sectors to create opportunities for meaningful international engagement and reach.
Disseminating our research through public engagement and impact activities that draw upon our specialist creative arts discipline areas.
Monitoring our progress through reports to the SMT, Academic Board and the Board of Governors.
The Head of Research, the University Curator, the Access and Participation Manager, Head of Careers, Employability and Enterprise and Head of Marketing champion public engagement activities.
B) Reward and Recognition
Principle 2: Researchers are recognised and valued for their involvement with public engagement activities:
The benefits of public engagement in research should be promoted to researchers, including its valuable role in developing transferrable skills.
Research enabling members of staff should receive briefing and support on these policies and processes.
ROs should to promote and celebrate their researcher’s successes in public engagement.
What we do to support Principle 2:
Public engagement activities and their associated skills are promoted through internal and external training.
As a small specialist research organisation the research enabling staff in the research office facilitate public engagement activities and provide information as appropriate to the Research and Ethics Committee, which also monitors progress on the annual research report. All staff have been briefed through VC briefings on the strategic plan and its commitment to public outreach and subsequent briefings provide further information.
Public engagement is recognised through staff appraisal and through the annual research review.
It is celebrated through marketing news stories, official social media posts, an annual research report and an annual public engagement report.
C) Skills, Support And Opportunities
Principle 3: Researchers are enabled to participate in public engagement activities through appropriate training, support and opportunities:
ROs are aware of the skills, behaviours, and personal qualities that researchers should aspire to in relation to public engagement (see Researcher Development Concordat).
ROs should identify and provide access to public engagement training and development opportunities for researchers.
(Researchers are responsible for engaging with these opportunities).
ROs should facilitate public engagement activities through supporting and encouraging researcher’s public engagement activities and providing practical support for public engagement (expertise, advice, access to information on financial support, examples of good practice, information in relation to potential partners).
ROs encouraged to consider how public engagement is managed across the whole institution, sharing good practice between departments and ensuring all activities are consistent with the institution’s policy.
ROs should assess and manage risks associated with public engagement.
What we do to support Principle 3:
The research pathways application includes a section on public engagement and impact. Through this mechanism researchers can gain practical support for public engagement activities.
Researchers may apply through the CPD process for external training in relation to public engagement and impact.
The University is a member of Y-PERN that provides training in public engagement and impact.
Public engagement is overseen via line management through appraisals.
Risk assessment processes are in place.
D) Implementation and Impact
Principle 4: 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:
ROs are aware of the skills, behaviours, and personal qualities that researchers should aspire to RE public engagement (see Researcher Development Statement).
ROs should identify and provide access to public engagement training and development opportunities for researchers. (Researchers are responsible for engaging with these opportunities).
Research enabling staff should support and encourage researcher’s public engagement activities.
What we do to support Principle 4:
The progress made in developing the behaviours, and personal qualities that researchers should aspire to re public engagement will be reported in the annual research report and the Department/Area Evaluation and Action Plan
Progress is also monitored through individual feedback to researchers which is made on an annual basis.
Training is identified through the annual appraisal process which all staff participate in.
The research office supports public engagement activities.
The University’s Public engagement activity report and Research report is considered by the Board of Governors and is available to staff on Portal.