The UPEN Participation Fund enables individuals across our members to engage directly with UPEN Programmes. The scheme offers awards of up to £5,000 and is open for the next three years (2025-2028).
Check your eligibility
The Participation Fund is open exclusively to staff at UPEN member institutions. Both academics and professional services staff are eligible. With a network comprising many UK universities, we encourage interested individuals to check if their institution is a member.
We also urge staff at our member institutions to share this opportunity across their universities to ensure colleagues across departments are aware of this opportunity.
Who we want to support
The fund is open to anyone at a UPEN member institution. We are particularly keen to encourage applications from:
- Staff unable to access internal funding (such as HEIF or IAA) to support their participation in engagement activities.
- Early and mid-career researchers looking to build policy engagement experience.
- Individuals at member institutions that are not formal partners in the UPEN Programmes grant.
Focus on People, Place, and Practice
To secure funding, applications need to show a clear link to one of UPEN Programme’s three core areas of focus and activities they are undertaking:
People: developing capabilities of professionals and institutions.
‘People’ develops the professionals and institutions at the heart of engagement between academia and policy. Led by the universities of Durham and Southampton, it will help understand professional capabilities and skills needs, deliver tailored development programmes, and create a ‘Policy Engagement Readiness Index’ to help institutions grow.
Place: understanding local and regional evidence needs.
‘Place’ works with local and regional policy bodies across all four nations to understand place-based evidence needs. Led by the Universities of Birmingham and Leeds, in alignment with the Local Policy Innovation Partnership Hub, it will consider the best models of engagement for different places, situate engagement within regional contexts, and join up the learning on engagement with local government.
Practice: Building collaborative practices & infrastructure for engagement.
‘Practice’ builds a connected and collaborative UK wide brokerage infrastructure. Led by UCL and Insights North East, ‘Practice’ connects government and people in policy to experts and evidence, maps and supports the expertise landscape, and brings community voices into the conversation to address long-term challenges.
How to apply
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis however you don’t need to rush an application today.
Instead, we encourage you to keep an eye on our website and newsletter. Use them to check for new Programme activities and access the application guidance when you see an opportunity that piques your interest.
Find full guidance, eligibility checks, and the application form here.
Related resources
How and where is policy engagement recognised and rewarded in Higher Education
Early Years Education and Care Research: Lessons Learned for Academic Policy Engagement
