How academic-policy engagement has developed

Our timeline shows the development of academic-policy engagement and the growth of interest in using evidence to support public policy over the last 25 years.

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More info:: Building a National Agenda for Regional Academic-Policy Engagement
Organisation:: Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE)
Significance:: A report by CAPE exploring different emerging models for regional academic-policy engagement. This report sets out the models, challenges, and ways to strengthen regional engagement.

More info:: UK Covid-19 Inquiry
Organisation:: UK Covid-19 Inquiry, Independent Public Inquiry
Significance:: Recommended ‘stronger groundwork’ on research for public health measures and non-pharmaceutical interventions, and bringing in more external expertise to reduce ‘groupthink’

More info:: Funding opportunity: Transforming global evidence: AI-driven evidence synthesis for policymaking
Organisation:: Economic and Social Research Council
Significance:: Major investment in synthesis for policy, launched at same time as Wellcome Trust’s Evidence Synthesis Collaborative £14.5m for new data and tools for ‘living synthesis’.

More info:: Growing a university policy engagement function
Organisation:: Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE)
Significance:: A report published by based on interviews and review of the research literature by CAPE. Shows large growth in policy centres and lessons learnt on how to develop, manage, and measure university-based policy centres.

More info:: Areas of Research Interest Database
Organisation:: Overton, Economic and Social Research Council, Government Office for Science, Transforming Evidence
Significance:: Creation of a searchable database of questions that government departments are seeking to answer, creating a one-stop-shop for Areas of Research Interest in the UK

More info:: Behavioural Research UK website
Organisation:: University of Edinburgh, Economic and Social Research Council
Significance:: Major investment with academia, government and business for policy insights from across all of UK.

More info:: The Responsible Knowledge Exchange, Engagement and Impact (RKEEI) Framework
Organisation:: University of Oxford
Significance:: Practical tool focus on public engagement – but also relevant to policy – designed by researchers leading the REF 2029 Research Diversity Advisory Panel.

More info:

Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) hub website

Organisation:

Citi-REDI, University of Birmingham

Significance:

The Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) Hub seeks to address nationwide issues through local partnership and place.

By working with local LPIPs, the Hub aims understand and solve local challenges around the UK through innovative and effective service-driven approach to place-based policy making and public service delivery. The LPIP Hub is designed to lead to a step-change in the quality and impact of the evidence created by universities and their local place partners.

The Hub has £3.6 million from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Innovate UK. It is a national consortium, led by City-REDI, University of Birmingham, convening stakeholders across the research and policy ecosystem. The project will run until the end of 2026.

More info:: Rethinking policy impact
Organisation:: Royal Society of Edinburgh, Economic and Social Research Council
Significance:: A milestone report that encourages policy impact abide by six principles including better collaboration, equality and diversity, public engagement, and using a wider ‘corpora’ of evidence.

More info:: Health Determinants Research Collaborations website
Organisation:: National Institute for Health and Care Research
Significance:: Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) boost research capacity and capability within local government. They aim to embed a culture of always using evidence when making decisions. HDRCs use research findings to understand how decisions impact on health and health inequalities. They also carry out research where evidence isn’t already available.

More info:: Writing and using Areas of Research Interest
Organisation:: Government Office for Science
Significance:: Aimed at departmental officials but useful insight for anybody wanting to learn about the process of developing ARIs.

More info:: Joint data analysis centre website
Organisation:: Cabinet Office
Significance:: Repurposed from the Covid Taskforce, this group now a permanent unit of 100 staff that helps to join up cross-government analysis. It is dedicated to ensuring that government decisions are informed by the best available data and strategic analysis, drawn from across government, industry, international expertise, academia and open-source intelligence.

More info:: Use of evaluation and modelling in government
Organisation:: Public Accounts Committee, House of Commons
Significance:: Influential Parliamentary select committee encouraged HM Treasury to ask departments to explain why they do not plan to publish some evaluations

More info:: Senedd Areas of Research Interest
Organisation:: Welsh Parliament / Senedd Cymru
Significance:: Publication of first ever Senedd committees’ lists of policy issues or questions setting out where they want to see more research evidence in certain topics.

More info:: Letter outlining the Policy Support Fund
Organisation:: Research England
Significance:: £29m fund to help solve pressing public policy challenges. Universities given discretion to invest in new interdisciplinary programmes for policy impact.

More info:: Rebuilding a resilient Britain
Organisation:: Government Office for Science
Significance:: This programme supported policy development that included examination of – and evidence for – existing departmental Areas of Research Interest. It published a range of reports to address UK recovery from Covid including

More info:: Knowledge Exchange Framework
Organisation:: Research England
Significance:: The first iteration of the Framework was launched to provide comparable, benchmarked and publicly available performance information, including working with the ‘public and third sector[s]’. Dashboards to provide more information on universities role in economy and society

More info:: REF 2021
Organisation:: Research England
Significance:: New round of assessment of research quality to inform funding decisions. Wide range of policy impact case studies in 2021 and increases of impact to 25% of allocations.

More info:: Forty-four academic fellows will work in 21 government departments and five What Works Centres across the UK
Organisation:: UKRI, Economic Social and Research Council
Significance:: Pilot of 18 month policy fellows, demonstrating funding to deepen connections between researchers and policymakers in a UK or devolved government host, or in the What Works Network.

More info:: Senedd Knowledge Exchange
Organisation:: The Welsh Parliament / Senedd Cymru
Significance:: First year of Knowledge Exchange strategy to strengthen and diversify links between the Senedd and the research community in Wales and beyond.

More info:: Surfacing Equity Diversity and Inclusion within Academic-Policy Engagement
Organisation:: Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)
Significance:: Important report looking at equity in sector and informed by survey of UPEN members.

More info:: Evaluation task force
Organisation:: Cabinet Office
Significance:: Launch of a joint HM Treasury and Cabinet Office body to promote evaluation in government via advice, support, scrutiny, and challenge. Also runs the What Works Network and Evaluation Accelerator Fund. Attempt to champion evaluation and evidence at the heart of decision-making.

More info:: International Public Policy Observatory, Economics observatory
Organisation:: UCL, Economic and Social Research Council
Significance:: Launch of Covid Observatories Two cross-UK observatories launched involving cross-UK partnerships bringing together research and policy to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 and accelerate the UK’s economic and social recovery: International Public Policy Observatory and the Economics Observatory.

More info:: UK Parliament Areas of Research Interest
Organisation:: UK Parliament, Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology
Significance:: First-time research needs of Westminster published

More info:: Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement website
Organisation:: Research England, UCL and the Universities of Cambridge, Manchester, Nottingham, and Northumbria, Government Office for Science, Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology
Significance:: Launch of Research England-funded knowledge exchange and research project that explores how to support effective and sustained engagement between academics and policy professionals. Milestone focusing on building capability and engagement of both academics and policymakers

More info:: Realising our ambition through science
Organisation:: Government Office for Science
Significance:: A report on government review of science capability. Led by Patrick Vallance, it recommended making greater use of Chief Scientific Advisers, growing Areas of Research Interest, and ensuring ‘every department should have a clearly defined science system’

More info:: How academia can work with government
Organisation:: Institute for Government
Significance:: Institute for Government report provides advice for researchers wanting to engage with government.. Frequently cited practical guide, a follow up to 2018 report focused on government, with recommendations for research funders

More info:: Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)
Organisation:: Universities Policy Engagement Network
Significance:: Launch of a network that provides a one stop shop for universities and policy organisations to access opportunities to strengthen evidence-informed policy making.

More info:: Government Analysis Function
Organisation:: Cross-departmental, Civil Service, UK Government
Significance:: The Government Analysis Function is a network for all civil servants working in government analysis.

More info:: Policy Research Units
Organisation:: National Institute for Health and Care Research
Significance:: National Institute for Health and Care Research launches centres for research for health policy. Demand-led units with substantial funding to inform government and arms-length bodies on health and social care

More info:: Transforming Evidence
Organisation:: Transforming Evidence
Significance:: Launch of a community to share learning across disciplines and sectors about how research evidence is made, shared and used. UK and international network to reduce isolated work and share learning widely

More info:: Administrative Data Research UK
Organisation:: Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK), Economic and Social Research Council
Significance:: Launch of a partnership to help researchers access the UK’s public sector data, to enable better informed policy decisions. Replaced Administrative Data Research Network. ESRC-funded body bringing together data held by different parts of government, and facilitating access for accredited researchers.

More info:: Knowledge Exchange Unit
Organisation:: UK Parliament
Significance:: Launch of the Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament. Launch of unit in Westminster to foster exchange of information and expertise between researchers and the UK Parliament. First port of call for academics seeking to engage with Westminster and the dedicated body to broker university and other research inside Parliament, funded by ESRC

More info:: How government can work with academia
Organisation:: Institute for Government
Significance:: Key guide funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council on ways to improve policy engagement with academia, built on project by Cabinet Office

More info:: Research and knowledge exchange funding for 2019-20
Organisation:: Research England
Significance:: Launch of substantial £830m university resources for a range of impact work including policy engagement. Precursor to Policy Support Fund that created large amounts of policy impact e.g. as measured by citations

More info:: Policy Professional Standards
Organisation:: Policy Profession, part of the Civil Service
Significance:: Standards published based around three pillars that comprise the key skills of all policy practice – strategy, politics, and delivery. Government intention that policy professionals should have skills and knowledge in using evidence and analysis

More info:: Open Innovation Team
Organisation:: Open Innovation Team, Civil Service
Significance:: Cross-government unit that works with experts to generate analysis and ideas for policy, helping colleagues review evidence, engage experts, develop policy and evaluate impact. Consultancy-type body that provides briefings based on evidence inside HM Government and also manages university partnerships and training for academics

Organisation:: Show your workings
Significance:: Framework for anybody to use that can score and rank how departments present and use evidence for policy

More info:: The Nurse Review
Organisation:: Independent review led by Sir Paul Nurse
Significance:: The Nurse Review was an independent review to explore how Research Councils can support research most effectively. It called for a ‘more sophisticated dialogue’ with academia, including recommending setting up Areas of Research Interest.

More info:: Government Areas of Research Interest
Organisation:: Various Government Departments, UK Government
Significance:: Publication of specific topics or issues that government organisations to are keen to hear research evidence or insights. Make explicit government research needs and provide focus for knowledge exchange activities

More info:: Evaluation and Trial Advice Panel
Organisation:: Evaluation and Trial Advice Panel, Cabinet Office, UK Government
Significance:: ETAP brings together top evaluation and experimentation experts from across the UK to provide free evaluation advice to civil servants and What Works Centres.

More info:: REF 2014
Organisation:: Research England
Significance:: The Research Excellence Framework is the national assessment of the strength of UK research and replaced the previous Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). It included impact case studies for the first time.

More info:: What Works Scotland
Organisation:: Scottish Government, Economic and Social Research Council
Significance:: Launched by the Scottish Government and ESRC to improve the way local areas in Scotland use evidence to make decisions about public service development and reform. Attempt to use What Works model in response to Christie Commission and work across multiple Scottish universities and policy bodies. Closed in 2020.

More info:: UK in a Changing Europe
Organisation:: UK in a Changing Europe, hosted by Kings College London
Significance:: Cross-UK project to bring social science research and expertise to bear in the debates on EU referendum. An academic think-tank to make social science more accessible that has continued to play a role post-Brexit.

More info:: Scottish Insight
Organisation:: Scottish Universities
Significance:: A Scotland-wide initiative of knowledge exchange Programmes were designed to stimulate in-depth knowledge exchange and mobilisation through workshops, seminars, and other activities over a period of several months. Joint venture of research-intensive Scottish universities for the wider public good, closed in 2024.

More info:: Scottish Parliament Academic Network
Organisation:: Scottish Parliament
Significance:: Launched by the Scottish Parliament, it formalises and coordinates knowledge exchange via a network of knowledge exchange/brokering professionals throughout Scottish and other universities.

More info:: Wales Centre for Public Policy
Organisation:: Wales Centre for Public Policy
Significance:: Formerly the Public Policy Institute for Wales, the Centre provides ministers, civil servants, and public service practitioners with evidence and independent advice. One of the longest-serving What Works Centres, it has a demand-led model, co-funded by the Welsh Government.

More info:: Announcing the What Works Centres
Organisation:: What Works Centres
Significance:: Launch of evidence centres to improve the design and delivery of public services. This was the first public showing of the network of centres at event at Nesta with ESRC, Lottery Fund, and coalition government ministers.

More info:: Evaluation in Government
Organisation:: National Audit Office
Significance:: A report from the National Audit Office National Audit Office report on the state of evaluation across government departments. The report found many instances of poor quality evaluations, and that departments don’t use evaluation evidence enough in decision-making.

More info:: Institute for Government review of the Local Government Knowledge Navigator
Organisation:: Local Government Knowledge Navigator
Significance:: Initiative launched to enable local government to connect with research using evidence reviews, events, and an online searchable register. An attempt to grow connections between research and local government. Ran from 2013-2016.

More info:: See, for example, What works review Department for International Development
Organisation:: What Works Network, Cabinet Office, UK Government
Significance:: Significance: attempt to incentivise research use by published audits and reviews

More info:: Alliance for Useful Evidence
Organisation:: Nesta
Significance:: Launch of an open network, hosted by Nesta, that championed the smarter use of evidence in social policy and practice. Cross-disciplinary advocacy, networking and capacity building for research use in government and beyond.

More info:: UKRI impact acceleration accounts
Organisation:: UKRI
Significance:: Launch of strategic awards for universities from UKRI to use creatively for a wide range of impact activities, including policy. Significant scale of resource that allowed universities opportunity to be innovative and suit their institutional needs.

More info:: Civil Service Reform Plan
Organisation:: UK Government
Significance:: Coalition government strategy to improve civil service. It committed to publishing more of the evidence-base for policy and for civil servants to have ‘a clear understanding of what works based on robust evidence’.

More info:

More info:: Behavioural Insights Team
Organisation:: UK Government
Significance:: The Behavioural Insights Team is a ‘nudge unit’ grown across UK and internationally and has championed behavioural research, randomised trials, and ‘what works’.

More info:: Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies
Organisation:: Independent
Significance:: Influential group that came to prominence during Covid, it is the main centralised source of external expertise in times of national crisis

More info:: Government Office for Science
Organisation:: UK Government
Significance:: Body established by merging Office of Science and Technology with Transdepartmental Science and Technology Group. The Office provides demand-led science advice and oversees science advice mechanism. Supports policymakers with evidence-based policymaking and helps to ensure science advice at the heart of decision-making, headed by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

Organisation:: UKRI
Significance:: UKRI required grant applications to describe their potential impact in response to the 2006 Warry report. Relevant research funding proposals had to map out future policy impacts.

More info:: Increasing the Economic Impact of Research Councils
Organisation:: Independent
Significance:: A report for the government on increasing Research Council knowledge exchange. Focus on economic benefits but also recommended a range of measures to boost policy including incentives for academics, and increased interchange of people and ideas.

More info:: Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence Based Policy Making
Organisation:: Science and Technology Committee, House of Commons, UK Parliament
Significance:: Report by House of Commons Science and Technology Committee setting out recommendations for better scientific advice and ways to improve the way it communicates levels of risk to the public. Urged the government to use more learned societies and professional bodies in science advice, give more power to science advisers

More info:: Civil service competency framework
Organisation:: UK Government
Significance:: A competency framework that outlined the skills and behaviours expected of civil servants. Launched by Prime Minister, the policy profession was expected to have core competency of ‘analysis and use of evidence’

More info:: Getting the evidence using research in policy making
Organisation:: National Audit Office
Significance:: Showed lack of strategic clarity in how the government commissioned research and recommended more proactive dissemination and use of research.

More info:: Code of practice for scientific advisory committees and councils
Significance:: Guidance published on management and conduct of independent government advisory science committees and councils that builds on the ‘May Guidelines’ published in March 1997 by Sir Robert May, then Chief Scientific Adviser. Key guide for how academics in formal advisory bodies can provide impartial advice to policymakers.

More info:: Influence or irrelevance: can social science inform government
Significance:: Economic and Social Research Council Lecture by Education Secretary, David Blunkett. Provocation that invited the research community to accept an enhanced role in the policy-making process.

Organisation:: Queen Mary University
Significance:: Launch of a network of centres around the UK funded with a coordinating centre at Queen Mary, University of London. Developed knowledge, careers, methods and leadership in evidence for policy and practice

More info:: Campbell Collaboration
Organisation:: Independent
Significance:: Launch of body to grow systematic reviews relating to social and environmental issues. A UK-led global champion of provider of evidence and synthesis relevant to social policy and practice

More info:: Adding it up: improving analysis & modelling in central government
Organisation:: Performance and Innovation, Cabinet Office, UK Government
Significance:: Report by Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit setting out how to grow analytical capacity in government. Influential report with foreword by the Prime Minister promoting training on research and analysis for civil servants and ministers

More info:: Modernising governmentand Professional policymaking for the 21st Century
Organisation:: Cabinet Office, UK Government
Significance:: Reports published by the Cabinet Office stated that the government should be ‘shaped’ by evidence and ‘what works’. Language and commitment by the Labour government to using ‘best available evidence from a wide range of sources’ for modernisation agenda.

More info:: National Institute for Health and Care Research
Organisation:: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Significance:: An arms-length body using research and expertise on clinical and cost effectiveness of health interventions. Highly influential evidence-based body in health policy that inspired other ‘what works centres’

More info:: Institute for Government report: Reforming the Civil Service: The Centre for Management and Policy Studies
Organisation:: Cabinet Office, UK Government
Significance:: Launch of a cross-government body providing training, consultancy, research, and ‘knowledge pools’ and a ‘policy hub’ for information sharing to benefit policy making. Promoted evidence-based policy and practice from the centre of government. Ran from 1999-2005.

Additional information around the eco-system

- Events and milestones that are national in scale.
- Government bodies if they work across the UK and policy fields.
- Influential policies including White Papers, government strategy documents, select committee inquiries, Ministerial speeches, government guidance, independent reviews, and public reports on the sector.
- Cross-cutting governmental organisation. This might include a body based in a single department as long as it works across Government.
- Academic journals or thought-leadership reports
- single sector/department/locality unless wider significance (e.g. exclusion of individual What Works Centre – but launch of group of centres is included)
- Sub-national bodies (e.g. exclusion of Insights North East, Y-PERN)
- Academic journal articles – even if highly influential
- Precedes 1999
- ADR-UK. (n.d.). About ADR UK. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://www.adruk.org/about-us/about-adr-uk/
- Bailey, J., & Lloyd, P. (2016, June 25). The introduction of design to policymaking: Policy Lab and the UK government. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.314
- Boswell, C., Smith, K., & Davies, C. (2022). Rethinking policy impact; Promoting Ethical and Effective Policy Engagement in the Higher Education Sector. https://rse.org.uk/programme/policy-advice/projects/rethinking-policy-impact/
- Breckon, J. (2024, July 12). How to grow universities’ policy engagement functions. Wonkhe. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/how-to-grow-universities-policy-engagement-functions/
- Cabinet Office. (2014, August 5). What Works Review of the Use of Evidence in the Department for International Development. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-works-review-of-the-use-of-evidence-in-the-department-for-international-development–2
- Cabinet Office. (2018). The What Works Network: Five Years On. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-what-works-network-five-years-on
- Campbell Collaboration. (n.d.). History of the Campbell Collaboration. Campbell Collaboration. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://www.campbellcollaboration.org/about-campbell/history.html
- Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement. (2020, June 15). £3.9m awarded to national collaboration to support academic engagement with public policy—CAPE. https://www.cape.ac.uk/2020/06/15/cape-launch-announcement/
- CAPE. (2024). Building a National Agenda for Regional Academic-Policy Engagement. https://www.cape.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Building-a-national-agenda-for-regional-academic-policy-engagement-Feb-24.pdf
- Davies, R. (2022, November 11). Enter the dragon: Senedd committees Areas of Research Interest pilot project – CAPE. https://www.cape.ac.uk/2022/11/11/senedd-aris/
- de Campos, A. L. (2010). A Study on Methodologies for Research Impact Assessment: Responses of the UK Research Councils to the Warry Report. Industry and Higher Education, 24(5), 393–397. https://doi.org/10.5367/ihe.2010.0006
- ESRC. (2023, November 9). ESRC to radically expand UK behavioural research capacity. https://www.ukri.org/news/esrc-to-radically-expand-uk-behavioural-research-capacity/
- Evaluation Task Force. (n.d.). About us. GOV.UK. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/evaluation-task-force/about
- Ford, C. J., & Mason, K. (2018). The Open Innovation Team: An Independent Evaluation of a Cabinet Office Initiative [Report]. https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/149180/
- Geyer, J. (2019). Reflections on the What Works Scotland initiative | What Works Scotland. Scottish Government. http://whatworksscotland.ac.uk/publications/reflections-on-the-what-works-scotland-initiative/
- Government Office for Science. (2019). A review of Government Science Capability: Progress update (9 January 2024). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-science-capability-review/a-review-of-government-science-capability-progress-update-9-january-2024
- Government Office for Science. (2020). Guidance for government Chief Scientific Advisers and their Officials Chief Scientific Advisers and their officials: An introduction. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e145810ed915d06f75e5e41/chief-scientific-advisers-and-their-officials-an-introduction.pdf
- Government Office for Science. (2023, September 12). New one-stop shop to find the topics government is interested in researching. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-one-stop-shop-to-find-the-topics-government-is-interested-in-researching
- Green, D., Bryant, V., Edwards, S., Kemp, C., McKenzie, M., Shah, S., & Soulsby, I. (2023). Then there were seven: A commentary on creating a public involvement strategy group for a policy research unit in behavioural science. Research Involvement and Engagement, 9(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-023-00413-w
- Haddon, C., & Sasse, T. (2018). How government can work with academia. Institute for Government. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publications/how-government-can-work-academia
- Halpern, D. (2015). Inside the Nudge Unit: How small changes can make a big difference. WH Allen.
- Halpern, D. (2017, February 21). Transparency and evidence – show your workings – Civil Service Quarterly. https://quarterly.blog.gov.uk/2017/02/21/transparency-and-evidence-show-your-workings/
- Hampshaw, S., Morling, J., & Black, M. (2023). Investing in research infrastructure to address health inequalities: Learning by doing. Public Health in Practice, 7, 100460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2023.100460
- HM Government. (2012). Civil Service reform plan. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-reform-plan
- Hodgkin, R., & Kelsey, T. (2024). Putting analysis and assessment at the heart of government. Institute for Government. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/analysis-assessment-heart-of-government
- Hodgkinson, P. (2000). ‘Who Wants to be a Social Engineer? A commentary on David Blunkett’s Speech to the ESRC’. Sociological Research Online, 5(1), 74–84. https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.433
- House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. (2024). Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base; Fifth Report of Session 2023–24 (HC 197). https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmpubadm/197/summary.html
- House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. (2007). Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence Based Policy Making: Government Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report of Session 2005–06 (HC 307).
- IDOX. (2015, January 7). Local government knowledge navigator. The Knowledge Exchange Blog. https://theknowledgeexchangeblog.wordpress.com/tag/local-government-knowledge-navigator/
- Institute for Government. (2018). How government can work with academia. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/report/how-government-can-work-academia
- Institute for Government. (2020, March 31). Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE). Institute for Government. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/article/explainer/scientific-advisory-group-emergencies-sage
- Manville, C., Morgan Jones, M., Frearson, M., Castle-Clarke, S., Henham, M.-L., Gunashekar, S., & Grant, J. (2015). Preparing impact submissions for REF 2014: An evaluation: Findings and observations. RAND Europe Report. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR727.html
- Martin, S. (2023). ‘Pulling rather than pushing’: A demand-led approach to evidence mobilisation. In The What Works Centres (pp. 100–112). Policy Press. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.56687/9781447365112-013/html?lang=en
- Menon, A., & Rutter, J. (2022, August 18). UK in a Changing Europe: Injecting social science into a polarised political debate. Impact of Social Sciences. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2022/08/18/uk-in-a-changing-europe-injecting-social-science-into-a-polarised-political-debate/
- National Audit Office. (2013). Evaluation in Government—National Audit Office (NAO) Report. https://www.nao.org.uk/report/evaluation-government/
- National Audit Office. (2003, April 16). Getting the Evidence: Using Research in Policy Making – NAO report. National Audit Office (NAO). https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/getting-the-evidence-using-research-in-policy-making/
- Nesta. (n.d.). Alliance for Useful Evidence. Nesta. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://www.nesta.org.uk/project/alliance-useful-evidence/
- Nurse, P. (2015). Ensuring a successful UK research endeavour; A Review of the UK Research Councils by Paul Nurse. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nurse-review-of-research-councils-recommendations
- Oancea, A. (2023, May 3). What is Responsible Knowledge Exchange, Engagement and Impact? Impact of Social Sciences. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2023/05/03/what-is-responsible-knowledge-exchange-engagement-and-impact/
- Oliver, K., & Boaz, A. (2019). Transforming evidence for policy and practice: Creating space for new conversations. Palgrave Communications, 5(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-019-0266-1
- Oliver, K., & Boaz, A. (2020, November 27). Building new bridges between research and policy during a national lockdown. Impact of Social Sciences. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2020/11/27/building-new-bridges-between-research-and-policy-during-a-national-lockdown/
- Oliver, K., Boaz, A., & Cuccato, G. (2022). Areas of research interest: Joining the dots between government and research at last? (11:1509). F1000Research. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.127542.1
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- Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology. (n.d.). Areas of Research Interest. POST. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://post.parliament.uk/areas-of-research-interest/
- Parsons, W. (2002). From Muddling Through to Muddling Up—Evidence Based Policy Making and the Modernisation of British Government. Public Policy and Administration, 17(3), 43–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/095207670201700304
- Pearson, H. (2024). Scientists are building giant ‘evidence banks’ to create policies that actually work. Nature, 634(8032), 16–17. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03100-2
- Policy Profession. (2024, April 12). Policy profession standards. GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/policy-profession-standards
- Public Accounts Committee. (2022). Use of evaluation and modelling in government. Fourth Report. HC 254. House of Commons. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmpubacc/254/summary.html
- Public Administration Select Committee. (2007). Skills for Government Ninth Report of Session 2006–07. https://committees.parliament.uk/work/4405/civil-service-skills-inquiry/
- Puttick, R. (2013). Why we need to create a ‘NICE for social policy’. Nesta: Alliance for Useful Evidence. https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/why-we-need-to-create-a-nice-for-social-policy/
- Puttick, R., & Mulgan, G. (2013). What should the ‘What Works Network’ do? Nesta. https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/what-should-the-what-works-network-do/
- Scottish Parliament. (n.d.). Scottish Parliament Academic Network. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/research-prepared-for-parliament/academic-engagement/how-to-engage/scottish-parliament-academic-network
- Sealey, B. (2022). UPEN Phase II: Final Report—Scoping Business Models for UPEN’s Sustainability. Universities Policy Engagement Network.
- Senedd. (n.d.). Areas of Research Interest. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://senedd.wales/senedd-business/areas-of-research-interest/
- Stevenson, C., Grant, J., Szomszor, M., Ang, C., Kapoor, D., Gunashekar, S., & Guthrie, S. (2023). Data enhancement and analysis of the REF 2021 Impact Case Studies. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2162-1.html
- Technopolis. (2023). Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) Interim Impact Evaluation – Main report. https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/UKRI-04082023-Strategic-Priorities-Fund-interim-impact-evaluation-main-findings-report.pdf
- UK Covid 19 Inquiry. (2024). Module 1 report: The resilience and preparedness of the United Kingdom; A report by The Rt Hon the Baroness Hallett DBE Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/reports/module-1-report-the-resilience-and-preparedness-of-the-united-kingdom/
- UK higher education funding bodies. (2011). Decisions on assessing research impact 2011-01. https://2014.ref.ac.uk/pubs/2011-01/index.html
- UKRI. (n.d.). UKRI impact acceleration accounts. Retrieved 4 July 2024, from https://www.ukri.org/what-we-do/browse-our-areas-of-investment-and-support/ukri-impact-acceleration-accounts/
- UKRI. (2020, December 2). ESRC-funded observatories will help tackle impacts of COVID-19. https://www.ukri.org/news/esrc-funded-observatories-will-help-tackle-impacts-of-covid-19/
- UKRI. (2023, February 21). UKRI policy fellowships 2023. https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/ukri-policy-fellowships-2023/
- University Policy Engagement Network. (2021). Surfacing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within Academic-Policy Engagement. https://www.upen.ac.uk/news/latest_news/?action=story&id=251
- Wilsdon, J. (2020, January 27). A requiem for impact? Wonkhe. https://wonkhe.com/blogs/a-requiem-for-impact/

The academic-policy ecosystem

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How academic-policy engagement has developed

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Publication of report “Building a National Agenda for Regional Academic-Policy Engagement”

Publication of report from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry on the UK’s response and preparedness for Covid, including science advice from SAGE and others

Funding call of £11.5m announced for AI-driven evidence synthesis for policy making

Publication of report “Growing a university policy engagement function: towards better models, methods and measures of success”

Database for Areas of Research Interest (ARI) launched

Launch of Behavioural Research UK, a research consortium which serves as a leadership hub to build national capability for behavioural research.

Publication of “The Responsible Knowledge Exchange, Engagement, Impact (RKEEI) Framework”

Launch of the Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP) hub led by the City Region Economic and Development Institute at the University of Birmingham

Publication of report “Rethinking policy impact: promoting ethical and effective policy engagement in the higher education sector”

Health Determinants Research Collaborations (HDRCs) created

Guidance published by the Government Office for Science on writing and using Areas of Research Interest

Creation of the Joint Data and Analysis Centre (JDAC) based within the Cabinet Office

Publication of report “Use of evaluation and modelling in government”

The Senedd (Welsh Parliament / Senedd Cymru) publishes first Area of Research Interest

Creation of the Policy Support Fund (previously the Strategic Priorities Fund)

Delivery of the Rebuilding a Resilient Britain programme

First Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF)

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Pilot of UKRI Policy fellowships for academics to work in policy organisations

The Senedd (Welsh Parliament / Senedd Cymru) publishes knowledge exchange strategy

Publication of report “Surfacing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion within Academic‑Policy Engagement”

Creation of the Evaluation Task Force, Cabinet Office

Creation of Covid Observatories

Publication of the first UK Parliament Areas of Research Interest (ARI)

Launch of Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement (CAPE)

Publication of report “Realising our ambition through science”

Publication of report “How academia can work with government”

Creation of Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Creation of the Government Analysis Function

Creation of Policy Research Units (PRUs)

Creation of Transforming Evidence

Creation of Administrative Data Research UK

Creation of the Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK Parliament

Publication of report “How government can work with academia”

Launch of the Strategic Priorities Fund by UKRI

Publication of Policy Profession Standards Framework

Creation of the Open Innovation team

Publication of report “Show your workings”

Publication of the Nurse Review of UK Research Councils

Publication of first Areas of Research Interest (ARI) by UK Government departments

Creation of Evaluation and Trial Advice Panel (ETAP)

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014

Launch of What Works Scotland

Creation of think tank UK in a Changing Europe

Creation of the Scottish Universities Insight Institute

Launch of the Scottish Parliament Academic Network (SPAN)

Creation of the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP)

Launch of What Works Centres

Publication of “Evaluation in Government”

Launch of the Local Government Knowledge Navigator

What works network reviews of UK Government departmental use of evidence

Launch of the Alliance for Useful Evidence

Launch of Impact Accelerator Accounts (IAAs)

Publication of the Civil Service Reform Plan

Research Excellence Framework response to pilot

Creation of the Behavioural Insights Team

Creation of Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE)

Creation of the Government Office for Science (GO-Science)

New requirement of “Pathways to Impact” in grant applications

Publication of the Warry Report; “Increasing the Economic Impact of Research Councils”

Publication of report “Scientific Advice, Risk and Evidence Based Policy Making”

Publication of the Civil Service Competency Framework

Publication of report “Getting the evidence: Using research in policy making”

Publication of the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees

Delivery of lecture “Influence or Irrelevance: can social science improve government?” by David Blunkett

Launch of UK Network of Evidence Based Policy and Practice

Launch of Campbell Collaboration

Publication of report “Adding it up: improving analysis & modelling in central government”

Publication of white paper “Modernising government” and cabinet office report “Professional policymaking for the 21st Century”

Launch of the arms-length body National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

Launch of the Centre for Management and Policy Studies

Additional information around the eco-system

The academic-policy ecosystem

Submit an item to the timeline