Who are we?
We work as a job share in the Government Office for Science (GOS) and lead the Science Networks, Systems and Capability Team. It’s a long team name but really it can be summed up as working together to improve science capability in government. We work closely with many networks, including the departmental Chief Scientific Advisers and their teams, advising and supporting them on areas such as establishing a robust Departmental Science System, managing Science Advisory Committees and Councils, and making the most of the amazing knowledge out there in the academic community.
The CSaP Policy Fellowship
We recently undertook the Policy Fellowship programme at the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) at the University of Cambridge. CSaP’s mission is to improve public policy through enabling policy makers to draw on the expertise of university researchers. The Policy Fellowships programme is a unique initiative, now in its 12th year, offering policy makers a bespoke programme of one-to-one meetings with around 30 researchers across the University over a two-year programme based on specific policy questions set by fellows, and also includes meetings, workshops and support to make the most of the academic connections made.
The IPR Policy Fellowship at Bath – Extending Our Engagement
Following our meetings in Cambridge, we were invited to the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) at the University of Bath, as part of the CSaP Affiliate Network, to continue our Fellowship journey. The IPR runs its own Policy Fellowship Programme, which brings senior policy makers together with Bath’s researchers to explore pressing policy challenges. The IPR model provides a structured series of one-to-one meetings based on questions submitted by fellows, with options for in-person or virtual visits.
Our time at Bath built directly on our Cambridge conversations, reinforcing themes and adding new insights. This dual exposure highlighted how linking CSaP’s national network with IPR’s specialist expertise creates a powerful ecosystem for evidence-based policy engagement.
What was the focus of our fellowship?
Although somewhat meta for CSaP we decided to focus our Policy Fellowship on academic engagement. We wondered what drives academic engagement (from both sides of the fence), how it works in practice, what barriers there might be, and if there were (false) assumptions being made.
Following our meetings in Cambridge, we were invited to the Institute of Policy Research at Bath as an affiliate on their Policy Fellowship scheme and had another series of meetings which built on our initial findings.
What did we find out?
All the discussions we had with academics in Cambridge and Bath provided fascinating insights. A few clear themes emerged:
1. Advising policy/government is personally rewarding but challenging to evidence
Academics are highly motivated to share their findings and engage with policy but struggle to evidence impact. Structures like the REF (Research Excellence Framework) measure and reward academic success in ways that don’t easily align with policy contributions. Often junior academics may feel unable to spare time for policy engagement if there’s no publishable output at the end.
Positive stories included where academics explained their evidence needs at the start so policy teams could respond, e.g. by providing a follow-up testimonial letter or finding a way to allow publications.
2. A shared understanding of policy and academic contexts is key to success
Government and academia operate in vastly different contexts. The timescales which government works to can often feel incredibly short to academics. The wider organisations’ cultures and language can also feel so different. It takes an investment of time by both parties to overcome these issues and understand the pressures and needs of the other.
For instance, policymakers who understood the academic calendar and grant funding cycles were better equipped to plan engagement effectively. This kind of awareness significantly improved collaboration.
3. Engagement is not all about personal networks
A widespread misconception is that engaging with policy requires personal connections or luck. This can put people off if they feel they don’t know where to start. While personal contacts can help, civil servants often change roles making these connections unreliable. Alternative routes include knowledge brokers, policy institutes, or university engagement offices—many of which proved effective starting points for academics to increase their confidence and capacity to engage with policy through formal mechanisms such as Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) and Consultations.
What would we recommend?
Engaging with policy might seem daunting, but the right starting point can make all the difference. We hope this blog inspires you to take that first step.
If you are interested in engaging with policy makers:
- Look at our ARI database to explore what departments have said they need to know more of – it might be that your existing research answers their question already!
- Consider giving some time to a Science Advisory Committee or Council. Our SAC map shows all the different ones out there and is a great way to make a difference in a formal way. See available roles on the public appointments page.
- Look at this list of exchange schemes and see if any might be relevant for you.
- Visit the GOS routes to academic engagement page which we hope starts to tackle that final theme of ‘not knowing where to start’.
- If you’re a policy maker looking to engage with academia:
- Explore what resources your departments have, often via the Chief Scientific Advisers office or Analytical teams.
- See these resources from Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) and Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE).
- Look at this list of exchange schemes and see if any might be relevant to you.
- And keep an eye on our GOS pages for more advice in the future!
And finally...
Thank you to everyone we spoke with for sharing their time and insights – we really enjoyed taking the time out of our day job to meet you all. We shared our findings with our team and GOS and we are all highly motivated to improve this interface.
Special thanks to the teams in Cambridge and Bath for organising such fascinating programmes. We highly recommend Civil Servants apply for similar Fellowship schemes.
For more information on the CsaP Policy Fellowship programme, please click here.
For more information on the Bath Policy Fellowship, please click here.
All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of the IPR, nor of the University of Bath.
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