Getting out more: Contract research staff and public engagement activities

This one year project will act as a scoping and agenda-setting analysis of contract research staff and public engagement. Through qualitative and quantitative research designed to uncover the degree to which researchers are able to engage in different forms of public engagement and to highlight key support, training and development needs, it will produce a set of recommendations for universities and funders and suggest concrete ways that research staff can be included in engagement activities and training.

The panel selected this as a timely, innovative and valuable project. As the proposal sets out: ‘Impact, public engagement and transparent research are important moves in the UK academy. Funded research projects are increasingly required to engage with the outside world, and whilst such activities may take many forms –the overall drive is clear: Research should get out of the lab (or office) and engage with the world around it’.

The first phase of the project was in November 2010 which was a survey of research staff to find out about their level of public engagement. Sarah is currently analysing the results of the survey and writing a report based on the results.

This project is being run by Dr Sarah Davies, who is based at Imperial College London and Arizona State University. You can contact her on sarah.davies@asu.edu.