The project will develop new UK-wide infrastructure and networks, enabling more universities and research organisations to offer ‘Policy to Research’ opportunities for civil and public servants.
Launching on 1 February 2026, the Evidence Exchange project will:
- Develop a Digital Campus to promote academic and policy exchange schemes and courses for public and civil servants, making opportunities easier to find and access.
- Create professional development initiatives to equip public and civil servants with the skills and knowledge needed for effective public service today.
- Introduce innovative methods to develop communities of co-creation, including policy hackathons, sandpits, workshops and policy labs.
- Build relationships through extended Policy Fellowships and secondments for public and civil servants, and a new project matching policy contacts to research projects UK-wide – a Research Programme Policy Exchange.
- Extend capacity in the nations and regions of the UK, working with project partners and commissioning activity, while building a UK-wide, sustained community.
These activities will help improve public policy decisions and outcomes, drawing on research expertise and evidence from across the UK, and sharing learning and skills development between researchers and public and civil servants.
It is funded through a £3.75m grant from the ESRC: Economic and Social Research Council.
The Evidence Exchange (EvEx) consortium also includes King’s College London, The University of Edinburgh, Swansea University / Prifysgol Abertawe, Queen’s University Belfast, The University of Manchester and UCL. Project partners include the Scottish Policy & Research Exchange, Resolution Foundation and Apolitical.
Related resources
Policy Fellowships Network will use shared learning to improve practice
Report: How and where is policy engagement recognised and rewarded in Higher Education?
Early Years Education and Care Research: Lessons Learned for Academic Policy Engagement
