2025-2026 Insights Report: A Year in the Life of UPEN

As we gather for the UPEN Conference 2026, In Evidence We Trust, on 29-30 June, we are pleased to announce the launch of the UPEN Insights Report 2026 – A Year in the Life of UPEN. The report captures a year of growth and development across the network, as UPEN continues to strengthen capacities and capabilities for academic-policy engagement across the UK and develop as a national brokerage infrastructure.

The report highlights a number of important milestones over the past year, including growth to nearly 130 member institutions, the launch of UPEN’s first sector-wide member consultation, the creation of six new Communities of Practice, and the continued development of UPEN’s governance, communications and brokerage functions. It also reflects a growing appetite across the sector for stronger connections between research and policy, shared learning, and more effective mechanisms for mobilising evidence in decision-making.

Alongside these organisational developments, the report showcases the breadth of UPEN’s programme activity – from advancing knowledge mobilisation practice and exploring institutional capacity, to supporting regional academic-policy engagement, strengthening the UK-wide Areas of Research Interest ecosystem, and developing UPEN Connect to improve access to academic evidence and expertise. Together, these insights underline UPEN’s growing role as a trusted interface between academia and policy at a time when building trust in evidence has never been more important.