We are pleased to announce that UPEN has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Knowledge Exchange UK (KEUK), the professional body for KE practitioners working in universities, private and public sector research organisations.
Under the MoU, the UPEN and KEUK commit to a programme of mutual support focused around Continual Professional Development for policy engagement professionals and greater integration of policy engagement into KEUK’s calendar of activities.
KEUK and UPEN have had enjoyed a highly constructive relationship for several years, with KEUK supporting UPEN in its recent successful bid to Research England. Under the MoU, the two organisations will enhance the services they provide to their respective communities by exploring areas of common interest. Both organisations recognise that collaboration can build on an already positive relationship, common membership (at an organisational level) and shared objective to deliver economic and social impact from the UK’s research base in support of the Government’s mission-led industrial strategy.
In forming the partnership KEUK recognises the growth of policy engagement and the community of policy engagement professionals as an intrinsic part of the modern knowledge exchange environment. UPEN recognises the role of KEUK in convening knowledge exchange professionals from a diverse range of roles, and its position as a leading provider of training and CPD to the knowledge exchange community. UPEN and KEUK will explore opportunities to deliver training and capacity, for both academics and knowledge exchange brokerage roles, drawing on UPEN’s work with the UKRI Future Leaders Fellows Development Network, and KEUK’s established CPD experience and programme format.
To mark the start of joint activity, two appointments have been made that reflect KEUK’s and UPEN’s shared commitment:
- Neil Heckels, UPEN Programmes Co-Lead (People), is on the panel of judges for KEUK’s knowledge exchange awards, with a view to creating a policy engagement category next year. Neil and colleagues will also work with KEUK’s skills framework development team to understand complementarities between KEUK’s approach and that of UPEN.
- Tamsin Mann, Associate Director for Sector Engagement at KEUK, has joined UPEN Programmes’ Advisory Board, Chaired by Professor Graeme Reid. The Advisory Board will provide advice to UPEN Programmes Strategy Group and help UPEN develop a future sustainable operating model.
Chris Hewson, UPEN Co-Chair and Director of Business Development and Partnerships, said:
Signing this MoU demonstrates a genuine desire of both UPEN and KEUK to recognise the vital and evolving role of knowledge exchange professionals within and beyond higher education. It also highlights that both organisations are significantly invested in the importance of engagement between academia and policy, within a wider innovation ecosystem, as a key pathway to developing better outcomes for society.
Tamsin Mann, Associate Director Sector Engagement at KEUK said:
We’re delighted to enter into this MoU with UPEN, which cements a long-standing supportive relationship between our two communities, and look forward to closer and more proactive collaboration to develop and promote policy engagement professionals as part of our KE community.
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