UPEN is beginning work on developing a professional framework and supporting career pathways for knowledge mobilisers. Led by Joe Armstrong, Programme Development Manager at Durham University, this area of work focuses on the people who work at the interface of research and policy.
Across the UK, a growing number of professionals are bridging the gap between academic research and public policy. These ‘knowledge mobilisers‘ play a vital role in translating evidence into action, and yet their career pathways remain undefined. UPEN is developing a new framework to understand better the skills and competencies needed in these roles for effective policy engagement and, in turn, this will allow us to support and strengthen the policy engagement ecosystem.
Understanding the professional development landscape
We’re starting by mapping the professional development landscape for knowledge mobilisers in public policy. This includes identifying the skills and competencies required for effective engagement, reviewing existing training and resources, and understanding what UPEN members (both institutions and individuals) need to thrive in this space. The insights will inform a new flexible framework that reflects real-world experiences and informs future UPEN programmes.
Exploring routes into academic-policy engagement careers
Alongside the framework, we’re exploring what career pathways in engagement between academia and policy can look like and involve. This will see us showcase individuals who are leading the way in policy engagement from across the UPEN membership, often with unique and varied backgrounds. We’re conscious that knowledge mobilisation takes many forms and takes place through professional and academic roles as well as in policy settings and across a wide range of organisational contexts. These case studies will demonstrate the diversity of routes into the field, inspire others to consider careers in this space and help us understand how UPEN can support career progression in the future.
We believe that greater recognition of policy engagement professionals can lead to wider benefits – from attracting new talent to securing future funding. This work is a small but important step in shifting the narrative from viewing policy engagement as ad hoc or peripheral, and towards recognising it as a strategic, skilled, and impactful area of work.
This work is about recognising and supporting the people who make academic policy engagement happen. By defining the skills and career pathways needed to do this well, we’re helping to build a more inclusive and sustainable future for policy engagement.
Joe ArmstrongProgramme Development Manager, Durham University
Embedding Inclusion
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is central to everything we’re doing. That means looking not just at who is represented in the programmes we’re developing through UPEN, but how accessible those programmes are. We’re thinking carefully about how to pitch resources at the right level, recognising that people come to policy engagement with different experiences, starting points, and ways of engaging – including varied cognitive styles, lived experiences, and needs.
Clarity of language and terminology across these efforts is key. If we’re to shift perceptions of policy engagement and knowledge mobilisation, we need to make sure we’re framing things consistently, so our collective efforts reinforce rather than confuse the message.
Ways to Get Involved
We’ll soon be launching a survey to gather insights on professional competencies. In the new year, we’ll begin profiling individuals from across the network to showcase different career journeys.
If you’re interested in contributing to this work, whether by sharing your experiences, suggesting resources, or helping shape the framework, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact hello@upen.ac.uk to get involved.
About the work
This work is led by Joe Armstrong and Neil Heckels at Durham University and is part of UPEN Programmes, funded by Research England from 2025-2028.
