Ministry of Justice celebrates “gold standard” for academic engagement

In December 2020 the recently established Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Evidence and Partnerships Hub published the department’s 2020 Areas of Research Interest (ARI). At the time, the team aimed to set a precedent across government with their approach on how to meaningfully engage with academia.

That precedent has indeed been set. Five years, over fifty engagement events, twenty-eight academics embedded within the department later, the Evidence and Partnerships Hub launched their new Areas of Research Interest at an event jointly hosted by UCL and UPEN. It follows a fruitful period of collaboration with universities.

The mood in the room was celebratory. The Evidence and Partnerships Hub has evolved from hosting online events during lockdown and virtual seminars. So bringing together Ministry of Justice colleagues, academics, and the UPEN team in person felt like an important milestone in a continuing journey.

Reflecting on Ministry of Justice’s engagement with research, Sophie Boldon, Deputy Director for Science Capability at the Government Office for Science said;

The Ministry of Justice is the gold standard for open, far reaching and impactful academic engagement.

The Area of Research Interest form the bedrock of the Ministry’s academic engagement. They have amassed over 8000 views online and have enabled the department to access over £3.5m of funding to facilitate research addressing priority evidence needs.

Alexy Buck, Ministry of Justice Chief Social Researcher and Head of the Evidence, Evaluation and Economics Hubs, said;

As somebody who has worked as a social scientist in justice for a long time it is important to me that a diverse range of researchers and funders are excited about justice. We want to be inclusive in reaching out to experts at different points in their careers and at different institutions across the country and beyond.

The Hub set up a network that has grown to over four hundred academics that have signed up to collaborate on evidence-based challenges. The Network collects academics’ research interests in line with the ARI as well as academic expertise and protected characteristics, allowing the Hub to engage with a diverse range of people.

The event also highlighted the department’s growing focus on engaging with STEM researchers.

At UPEN, we are committed to testing and evaluating effective approaches to knowledge mobilisation. This includes via Areas of Research Interest and we welcome conversations about our work on this.