What is Public Engagement with Research (PER)?
Public engagement powers excellent research. Actively involving communities affected by our work provides invaluable insights and perspectives, enriching our research and creating solutions that are inclusive and equitable. This engagement fuels innovation and achieves meaningful outcomes for all.
Prof Irene Tracey, Vice Chancellor, University of Oxford
Public Engagement with Research describes the many ways the public can be involved in the design, conduct and dissemination of research. Ideally, it is a two-way process with mutual benefits for all involved. Ultimately it should enhance the quality and impact of research.
The “public” refers to groups or individuals who do not have an existing relationship with higher education through teaching or research. Their relationship to research may be close (they are directly affected by the research or its outputs) or more distant (e.g., as a taxpayer funding research, or with a general interest in a topic). This means that typically, university students, researchers and alumni aren't considered 'public'.
There's a plethora of ways to engage the public throughout the life cycle of research - not just at the end. Different methods achieve different goals, for different groups of people.
Public engagement can work alongside and enhance other external engagement approaches with a view to generating impact from research, such as policy and business and industry engagement.
Click here to how we identified stakeholders in a fictional example