MPLS PCER Fellows - Full Guidance

Background

Public and Community Engagement with Research (PCER) helps connect our research with society, generating benefits that enhance the impact and relevance of our work. By supporting PCER, we align with the Research Excellence Framework (REF) goals, contribute to a healthier research culture, and promote responsible research practices.

This initiative is part of our broader strategy to: 

• Support Impactful Work: We aim to capture and enhance the impact of our research, ensuring it contributes meaningfully to REF submissions.
• Improve Research Culture: By recognising the varied contributions of researchers and integrating these into career pathways, we address key aspects of research culture, including working conditions and recognition.
• Promote Responsible Practice: With responsible and ethical practice set to become a new assessment criterion (‘Rigour’) in REF impact case studies, this initiative addresses this by supporting ethical and impactful research.
• Respond to Strategic Goals: This initiative directly addresses the issues highlighted in our recent assessment of the current landscape for PCER support within departments, aligning with our strategic goals to support and embed high-quality, responsible, and impactful PCER.

Despite its potential, PCER has been under-used in REF impact case studies, often due to misconceptions about its ability to deliver high-quality outcomes. However, evidence shows that impact case studies featuring PER are competitive, with the most successful narratives combining various pathways to impact (internal analysis).

Additionally, PER has been highlighted as a strength in feedback to Oxford’s UoAs. The Main Panel Overview Reports observed that there was a lack of submitted Impact Case Studies featuring PER. A significant potential factor identified was the absence of timely evaluation.

Reflecting on our experiences in 2021, we encountered instances where promising Impact Case Studies featuring PER had to be abandoned. The lack of timely evaluation efforts meant that capturing tangible outcomes and impacts wasn’t feasible after the fact.

What is Public and Community Engagement with Research?

Public and Community Engagement with Research describes the many ways that the public can be involved in designing, doing and sharing research. It should be mutually beneficial, and ultimately should enhance the quality and/or impact of the research.

The 'public' are any individuals or groups who do not have an existing relationship with universities through teaching or research (i.e., students and researchers affiliated with this or any other University would not be considered members of the public). Additionally, 'professional' groups such as business and industry, and policy-makers are supported through other means. In MPLS, 'community' refers to those within Oxfordshire.

Click here for a more detailed description.

About MPLS’ Two-Phase PCER Support Approach

This initiative fits within our two-phase approach that we have adopted to drive our strategic support for PCER development:

Early Phase: Assisting researchers in the initial stages by offering training, funding opportunities, and fostering community connections. This early intervention is crucial to catalyse progression and overcoming barriers that prevent projects from maturing.

Mature Phase: Providing recognition and comprehensive support for established projects, including those with potential to become REF impact case studies.

This scheme empowers departments to develop projects and resources tailored to their unique contexts, addressing systemic barriers to engagement and enhancing the capacity for impactful public and community interactions. Additionally, it recognises and supports individuals committed to advancing engagement, providing them with opportunities to build their profiles and gain recognition within the research community.

As a pilot, this initiative will be reviewed according to how useful it is for departments, how it contributes to REF goals, and broadly contributes to embedding, enabling and promoting PCER as an integral part of research culture.

Objectives

Facilitate departments to progress along the EDGE framework and support impactful PCER by enhancing their responsible engagement practices, from initial exploration to embedding and sustaining impactful public and community engagement with research. 

• Embedding Engagement Culture: by integrating PCER into the daily practices of departments, including by raising visibility, ensuring it becomes a fundamental aspect of research culture.
• Recognising Leaders: by acknowledging and supporting individuals who are champions of engagement, enhancing their visibility and influence, and developing wider mechanisms and frameworks to recognise and reward PCER within research careers.
• Building Community: by building a network of like-minded individuals who can collaborate, share insights, and contribute to the division's engagement strategies.
• Enabling responsible and ethical engagement: by creating and curating resources that support researchers conducting effective engagement activities; by building capacity by designing and delivering training programs that build the skills and knowledge needed for successful engagement; by helping to establish relationships with key public partners.
• Improving Evaluation: by enhancing the methods and tools used to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of engagement activities. This dimension is both fundamental and a missed opportunity in much current practice to enable the capturing and evidencing of impacts for REF, evidence for funders, and continuous improvement.

We could additionally see evidence of initiatives in the next and following REF exercises as:

• Initiatives named in UoA PCE narratives
• Impact Case Studies featuring PCER not being excluded due to lack of evaluation
• Increase in PCER-featuring impact case studies

And ultimately support a strong submission in REF2029 and 203x.

What is the PCER Fellowships Scheme?

For this pilot phase, we will appoint up to five fellows who can propose projects and activities with a budget of up to £4,000 each. Ideally, fellows will come from a variety of departments, ensuring that the initiative's impact is felt across the MPLS Division. We will additionally consider cross-departmental teams and networks.

Those seeking to initiate or improve on individual PCER projects, should apply to the University’s PCER fund.

Eligibility Criteria

The PCER Fellows Scheme is open to:

• Researchers and professional support staff at all career stages affiliated with departments within the MPLS Division.
• Individuals or teams with a demonstrated commitment to advancing public and community engagement.
• Applicants proposing projects that address department-wide engagement barriers or leverage known enablers, or building on what works. 

Submissions connecting across departments within MPLS or covering a sub-population or sub-unit, particularly in larger departments, will also be eligible.

Projects that deliver engagement linked with a single research group are not eligible, and should instead apply to the University’s PCER fund.

Applicants are strongly advised to discuss their proposal with their department’s PCER lead whilst preparing their application, in advance of submission (if you’re not sure who that is, please get in touch).

Fellowship Duration

The fellowship will be awarded for a period of 12 months, funds need to be spent by 15 July 2025.

Example activity ideas

Fellows are invited to propose any activity that they believe will embed PCER into their department’s activities and culture. For example, this could include projects that:

• Facilitate strategy development: Workshops that support departments to explore, review and articulate what their key drivers, stakeholders and objectives are in relation to PCER. Activities that develop PCER leadership, and visibly demonstrate the departments support for engagement.
• Create Off-the-Shelf Resources: Design or curate tools and materials that researchers can easily access and use for their engagement efforts.
• Integrate into career development and progress: develop guidance and indicators to support researcher managers and others to recognise PCER and provide guidance to researchers within recruitment and progression mechanisms.
• Build Capacity: Develop and implement training programs that enhance the ability of researchers and departments to engage effectively with the public and communities. Building a network or community of practice for knowledge to be shared amongst groups.
• Establish Strategic Partnerships: Processes, workshops/activities and resources that enable the integration of relevant public and community groups or representatives into the department’s PCER governance or that will feed into the development of future activities. This could include, for example, compensating community representatives’ time or costs for initial meetings and workshops.
• Enhance Evaluation: Improve the evaluation processes and metrics for existing or developing engagement activities to ensure their impact is accurately measured and reported. This could involve working with evaluation experts, developing training, resources, etc.

Funds could go towards: staff time/buy-out, consultancy and professional fees, materials, event costs, and so on.

Fellows are encouraged to consider focused, relevant and achievable projects.

Benefits of Being a PCER Fellow

• Funding Support: Financial resources to support the development and implementation of engagement projects.
• Professional Development: Opportunity to develop leadership skills through doing and contribute to enhancing the culture and support for PCER within their department and shaping Divisional support.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with a community of engagement advocates and experts.
• Recognition and Profile Building: Gain recognition as a leader in embedding engagement within your department, with opportunities to showcase your work and enhance your profile in the community.
• Community of Practice: Join a network of like-minded individuals who can learn from each other and contribute to the division's plans for building engagement profiles. Fellows will meet at least twice during their term.

Application Process

Application: Submit an application via IRAMS, using the 'Case for Support' template which will ask for an outline project plan, budget, and expected outcomes.

Click here to submit your application via IRAMS

NOTE: search for 'MPLS PCER Fellowship Scheme' on IRAMS (not to be confused with 'Engagement: PCER Fund 24/25' managed by Research Services.

The deadline for applications is noon (UK Time) Friday 4 October.

You can use this template to draft your case for support. Only submissions via IRAMS will be accepted.

There are no word limits for each section, but you are encouraged to focus on relevant information and aim to keep the full application under five pages (using the Word template with Roboto font, size 11).

Review: Applications will be reviewed by a panel including divisional, professional services and researcher community representatives.

Notification: Successful applicants will be notified by the end of Friday 18 October.

Reporting: Awardees will provide a short narrative summary of their efforts (using a template that will be provided).

Assessment Criteria

• Commitment to PCER: The extent that the applicant(s) demonstrates a strong commitment to public and community engagement, with a demonstrable track-record relative to career stage.
• Clear Objectives and Plans: how defined goals are and extent that proposal addresses specific needs, barriers, or opportunities, ideally supported by evidence, and justification on how this will help improve the culture for PCER (e.g., departmental EDGE analysis, informal consultations). A clear plan that will use or encourage responsible engagement practices. A clear idea of what success will look like, including measures of success and ways of tracking progress. Alignment with REF goals is desirable (such as intent to include in PCE narratives).
• Department-Wide Impact: Whether the proposal benefits the wider department rather than a single research group, with the potential for broader, scalable impact. This can be focused on a specific community within the department (e.g., research students, senior researchers) or sub-unit, provided it benefits as many of that community across the department as possible.
• Sustainability: How the proposals consider plans for long-term sustainability, ensuring benefits continue after the initial project phase.
• Departmental Support: Applicants can demonstrate they have the backing from a relevant member of the department.
• Willingness to Share: Applicants are happy to be part of a network and openly share their experiences, lessons learnt, and resources.

Key Dates

Application Deadline: Friday 4 October 2024

Outcome Notification: Friday 18 October 2024

Mid-term Network Meeting: Tues 29 April 2025, 2-4pm

Spending Deadline: 15 July 2025

Reporting Deadline: 30 September 2025

Final Network Meeting: Wednesday 22 October 2025, 2-4pm

Fellowship End Date: 31 October 2025

Contact

For more information, please reach out to michaela.livingstone@mpls.ox.ac.uk. 

We may also be able to connect you with other departments who have an existing activity aligned with your proposal, from whom you can gain inspiration and learning from as part of developing your proposal before submission.