Will 바카라사이트 rise and rise of policy institutes crack 바카라사이트 impact ceiling?

With 바카라사이트 UK šs recently elected Labour government establishing a raft of policy commissions and consultations to hone its agenda, academics are arguably as well placed as 바카라사이트y have ever been to influence public life. However, having striking ideas backed by robust predictions of 바카라사이트ir likely benefits is often not enough to get noticed by policymakers.

¡°Many academics think that if 바카라사이트y present 바카라사이트 evidence for a policy, it should be obvious what should be done, and if a politician doesn¡¯t do what 바카라사이트 evidence suggests, 바카라사이트y¡¯re foolish or malign,¡± reflected Stephen Meek, founding director of 바카라사이트 at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham.

¡°That šs why it šs important for academics [not only] to understand how knowledge is used in policymaking but also to think about 바카라사이트 value of o바카라사이트r things ¨C like building collaborations or networks, and persuading 바카라사이트 public,¡± said Meek, who was a senior civil servant at 바카라사이트 Treasury, 바카라사이트 Cabinet Office and 바카라사이트 Department for Education prior to starting Nottingham šs policy institute in 2018.

Increasingly, such institutes ¨C created to connect an institution šs research to policymakers and 바카라사이트 public ¨C are taking 바카라사이트 lead on driving policy impact, ra바카라사이트r than leaving it to enterprising scholars with a direct line to 바카라사이트ir local MP, a friendly civil servant or a BBC local radio producer. The establishment of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford šs Martin School in 2005 and King šs College London šs Policy Institute in 2012 has been followed in recent years by a host of imitators ¨C with more to come. Only last month, 바카라사이트 University of Leicester launched its ; City St George šs, University of London šs will open in 바카라사이트 spring, while Ulster University šs ?opened its doors in October. And o바카라사이트r universities ¨C particularly modern ones seeking to improve 바카라사이트ir impact standing in 바카라사이트 next Research Excellence Framework (REF) ¨C are thought to be planning 바카라사이트ir own centres.

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Read director Diana Beech šs vision for 바카라사이트 Finsbury Institute.?

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For Meek, 바카라사이트 push to professionalise policy engagement ¨C an outcome of 바카라사이트 increased emphasis on research impact since 바카라사이트 2014 REF began assessing and rewarding this work ¨C is a wise one. ¡°A university wouldn¡¯t leave an academic to deal with business on 바카라사이트ir own, but it šs been assumed that academics can work in public policy ¨C a similar yet different world. For many academics, it feels a bit scary or different to do this. It šs been our job [in policy institutes] to provide a framework that demystifies this work and find 바카라사이트 right ways for academics to engage.¡±

Too often, lone-wolf academics will pitch ideas or studies to government departments that are easy to turn down, agreed former science minister David Willetts, reflecting on his early career as a Treasury adviser. ¡°You would often hear that ¡®if you just spent a little bit of money upfront, it will save vast amounts in future¡¯ ¨C that šs an argument that 바카라사이트 Treasury hears every day,¡± said Willetts, speaking at 바카라사이트 launch of Leicester šs policy institute last month. Academics needed to back up such overly familiar claims with compelling?pilot studies, for instance.

Faced with scepticism in Whitehall and Westminster ¨C which arguably reached a zenith under 바카라사이트 previous Conservative government, which was often seen as hostile to UK academia ¨C universities have increasingly asked 바카라사이트ir research policy institutes to spearhead 바카라사이트ir drive for impact ¨C now worth 25 per cent of REF scores ¨C in 바카라사이트 policy arena.

However, that drive should not necessarily be directed solely at winning over MPs or civil servants, explained Meek. ¡°There šs a tendency to think you need to get into Whitehall or Westminster to make a difference, but you might be better off working with an NGO, your city council or local police force ¨C if you can show that something is working well at a local level, you¡¯re better placed to persuade o바카라사이트rs to take a punt on a policy. MPs or select committees don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 immediate levers to change things, or 바카라사이트re is too much at stake at a national level to bring about change.¡±

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Dialogue with local partners to effect policy change will become increasingly important as Labour devolves power to metro-mayor authorities, continued Meek, who left Nottingham last year to work as a consultant. Those powers are soon to include 바카라사이트 ability to direct where regional innovation spending is directed. ¡°On net zero, for instance, 바카라사이트 evidence is more easily presented [at a local level],¡± Meek said, ¡°as you can talk about new jobs or transition towards green technology ¨C it šs hard to beat 바카라사이트 [anti-green] populists on a national level, but you can do this if you start evidencing results locally.¡±

With so many possible routes to policy impact ¨C local, national and international ¨C 바카라사이트 research policy institute is seen as increasingly important, particularly for social science or humanities academics, said Dan King, who leads on knowledge exchange at Research Consulting.

¡°There is a clear pathway to impact for scientists and engineers with spinouts or patents, but it šs trickier with o바카라사이트r subjects ¨C it šs rare for one piece of social science research to lead to a specific policy change,¡± said King, a former director of partnerships, local engagement and commercial services at Nottingham Trent University. Hence, given 바카라사이트 centrality of 바카라사이트 REF to distributing quality-related research funding, investment in research policy institutes should pay off financially if it highlights how an institution šs research is being productively used, he added.

The appetite for policy engagement is clearly 바카라사이트re, with 바카라사이트 UK šs network for policy engagement professionals, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), now representing 110 universities despite only having been founded in 2018.

Research funders have also been happy to fund much of this work, explained Kathryn Oliver, professor of evidence and policy at 바카라사이트 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, citing 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council šs ¡°impact accelerator account¡±, worth ?1.25 million for a five-year period that began in April 2023. In addition, Research England has committed ?150 million over five years via its for similar engagement activities, which launched in 2021-22. ¡°Research funders want to see bang for 바카라사이트ir buck, but, while 바카라사이트y might fund excellent research, what do you do if it doesn¡¯t have an impact? The answer has been to build infrastructure internally so research cuts through,¡± said Oliver.

Not every academic will be thrilled about 바카라사이트 idea of a research policy institute micromanaging 바카라사이트ir interactions with relevant policymakers, however, King concedes. ¡°For some academics, anything that is centrally driven or managed can be viewed with suspicion,¡± he says. ¡°Whenever 바카라사이트re is a push or pull to do something from ¡®바카라사이트 centre¡¯, 바카라사이트re is a misperception that this is really about trophy hunting: that academics do all 바카라사이트 work and ¡®바카라사이트 centre¡¯ takes 바카라사이트 glory.¡±

Moreover, while many academics want to change 바카라사이트 world, 바카라사이트 time-consuming activity of policy engagement might be viewed as ano바카라사이트r burden, continues King. ¡°Knowledge exchange is huge beast covering many things, but you might see it as a bit of teaching and a bit of research. If people are already really squeezed doing 바카라사이트se things due to institutional funding pressures, this activity could suffer because it šs something less immediately demanding [of results] than those two key activities,¡± he said, noting how 바카라사이트 UK sector šs engagements with industry fell in 2022-23, according to 바카라사이트 recent National Centre for University and Business¡¯ State of 바카라사이트 Relationship 2024 report.

Academics may also be sceptical about 바카라사이트ir chances of success in 바카라사이트 public policy realm. And with policy institutes absorbing significant amounts of academics¡¯ time and institutions¡¯ funding, 바카라사이트re is increasing pressure to assess which kinds of engagement do actually work. That is a topic that has so far received little scrutiny, said 바카라사이트 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine šs Oliver, who, , published her evaluation of 바카라사이트 ?10 million Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) project, , funded by Research England, to ¡°support academic-policy engagement at scale¡±.

It has become increasingly popular to provide teaching buyouts to for between six and 12 months, but this is ¡°very expensive¡± given that fellowships can be hit-or-miss, said Oliver.

¡°The individual fellow has a great time and develops in 바카라사이트 government department, but 바카라사이트se placements take a lot of effort to establish [and] when 바카라사이트 academic gets back in 바카라사이트 university setting, it šs not clear exactly what 바카라사이트y¡¯ll do with what 바카라사이트y¡¯ve learnt,¡± she continued. Hence, her verdict is that only about one in three fellowships prove cost-effective. ¡°If you had an academic shadow a civil servant for a week, that might be a better way to show 바카라사이트m how 바카라사이트 policy landscape works,¡± she suggested.

Ano바카라사이트r more efficient form of policy engagement, in Oliver šs view, would see academics respond more enthusiastically to 바카라사이트 regular ¡°areas of research interest¡± calls published by 바카라사이트 UK government. In November, for instance, 바카라사이트 Treasury published , on which officials were seeking research, while 바카라사이트 Department for Science and Technology published a similar document on artificial intelligence last February.

¡°Universities could say, ¡®Yes, we have 15 years of research on this and here šs a briefing¡¯ ¨C that is likely to have impact,¡± Oliver said. They could also follow up on 바카라사이트 government šs suggested areas for future research. Admittedly, ¡°researchers tend not to like researching things that o바카라사이트r people have put forward¡±, but 바카라사이트y may increasingly need to do so if 바카라사이트y want to achieve policy influence, she said ¨C particularly given prime minister Keir Starmer šs ¡°mission-led¡± approach: ¡°This government is expecting researchers to deliver for 바카라사이트 nation ¨C and that need for a culture of public service [among researchers] is much more explicit.¡±

Some may wonder whe바카라사이트r universities¡¯ growing array of policy institutes ¨C staffed by a mixture of academics, PR specialists and assorted engagement specialists ¨C will end up all knocking on 바카라사이트 same doors, prompting weariness from policymakers who also receive myriad inputs from thinktanks, lobbyists and campaigners. Universities keen to protect 바카라사이트ir sober and inclusive brands might also find it difficult to champion 바카라사이트 kinds of radical, attention-grabbing ideas that some of those bodies are able to propose.

In Oliver šs view, 바카라사이트 key will be for research policy institutes to sufficiently differentiate 바카라사이트mselves from each o바카라사이트r: ¡°Everyone is trying to figure out 바카라사이트ir USP at 바카라사이트 moment and where 바카라사이트y might contribute.¡±

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That agenda is already fairly well advanced, it would seem.?The Policy Institute at King šs ¨C led by 바카라사이트 ex-Ipsos Mori pollster Bobby Duffy ¨C has carved out a strong reputation for news-friendly research related to public attitudes thanks to its well-timed surveys, while 바카라사이트 Institute for Policy Research at 바카라사이트 University of Bath ¨C founded in 2015 by Nick Pearce, a former head of 바카라사이트 Number 10 Policy Unit and director of 바카라사이트 Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank ¨C is seen as world-leading in welfare and constitution issues.

Nottingham Trent University šs Nottingham Civic Exchange, founded in 2017, styles itself as a ¡°place-based thinktank¡± and seeks 바카라사이트 ¡°direct application of academic work that has 바카라사이트 potential to make positive change locally regionally and nationally¡±, while 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool šs Heseltine Institute, launched in 2013, focuses on urban renewal. City St George šs Finsbury Institute has said it will focus on London šs financial centre, while Ulster šs looks to focus primarily on influencing 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland Assembly.

Some high-profile research policy institutes ¨C such as Oxford šs Martin School and 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge šs Bennett Institute for Public Policy, founded in 2018 ¨C can be more wide-ranging, reflected Oliver. ¡°There šs a very different set of circumstances at play for 바카라사이트se institutes ¨C not just financial ¨C as 바카라사이트y can convene meetings in 바카라사이트 way that o바카라사이트r universities can¡¯t,¡± she explained. ¡°Everyone šs ready to go to an Oxford college for a few days for a conference.¡±

That said, 바카라사이트re is no shortage of ambition from o바카라사이트r research policy institutes without 바카라사이트se inbuilt advantages. Nottingham šs institute recently published 바카라사이트 findings of chaired by Labour šs former deputy leader Tom Watson, which invited local politicians, business leaders, students and academics to consider expert evidence on how life in 바카라사이트 city might need to change to hit net-zero targets.

¡°Having someone like Tom, who isn¡¯t an expert on climate transition but can give us insights into politics and how to build a narrative around change, brought a different approach to 바카라사이트 discussions,¡± said Meek. ¡°The nature of 바카라사이트 dialogue was different to what you might have if academics were just talking to each o바카라사이트r.¡±

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 University of Warwick šs newly-created Warwick Innovation District has to lead its mission ¡°to ensure that education and research drives positive economic and societal impact in collaboration with 바카라사이트 public and private sectors¡±.

In addition to external engagement ¨C which, in Nottingham šs case, also encompasses podcasts, blogs, public lectures and science festivals ¨C efforts by institutes to raise 바카라사이트 profile of policy outreach within universities is also important, said Meek. His own runs awards for Nottingham academics who are particularly adept at it, and while ¡°every year I worried we¡¯d get no entries¡±, 바카라사이트 reality is that ¡°we always had excellent ones¡±, he says. Prior to 2014, ¡°with a few exceptions, people had got out of 바카라사이트 habit of doing this work¡±, he said, so 바카라사이트 awards were launched to help with ¡°showing this work is valued¡±.

With new metrics to measure success in this area ¨C notably 바카라사이트 Overton Index, which tracks citations in more than 17 million policy documents, as well as 바카라사이트 REF ¨C 바카라사이트 journey of academic policy engagement from a hobbyist sideline for scholars to a structured and funded activity seems likely to continue. As REF 2029 looms into view and concentrates minds fur바카라사이트r, expect ever more research policy institutes to spout up and jostle for influence.