Are you involved in Public Engagement and Involvement with Research (PEIR)? We'd love to hear from you.
Across the University of Bath, colleagues are building relationships with communities, involving people in research, sharing knowledge, and creating opportunities for meaningful dialogue. This work takes many forms and happens in many different places, often with different audiences, partners and goals.
We know there is a huge amount of excellent PEIR activity taking place across the University, but we don't yet have a clear picture of who is doing what, where support is needed, and where opportunities exist to connect people and share learning.
That's why we're inviting colleagues to complete our short PEIR mapping survey.
Complete the survey here: PEIR Mapping Survey
Whether PEIR is 1% or 100% of your role, we want to hear from you
PEIR happens in many different ways across the University.
For some colleagues, it forms a central part of their role. For others, it may be one strand of a much broader portfolio of teaching, research, professional services or leadership responsibilities.
Wherever you sit on that spectrum, we'd like to hear from you.
We're keen to understand the full range of PEIR activity taking place across Bath, from large, established programmes to smaller projects, one-off activities and emerging areas of practice.
Why are we doing this?
The aim is simple: to better understand Public Engagement with Research across the University and use that knowledge to strengthen support, investment and opportunities for everyone involved.
We also recognise that PEIR often takes place alongside many competing priorities. Finding the time, resources and confidence to undertake engagement and involvement work can be challenging. Sometimes PEIR practitioners can feel isolated, particularly when they are the only person in their department or team carrying out this type of activity.
By building a clearer picture of current activity, we can:
- Identify areas of strength and expertise across the University
- Understand where additional support, training or resources would be valuable
- Connect colleagues with shared interests and approaches
- Reduce isolation by helping build networks of practice
- Highlight successful approaches and learning
- Make a stronger case for investment in PEIR
- Ensure future support is shaped by the needs of researchers and professional services colleagues
Most importantly, this is about mutual benefit. The better we understand the PEIR landscape at Bath, the better we can support those delivering this work.
Better support leads to better research
Public engagement and involvement can improve research in many ways. It can help researchers identify questions that matter to communities, strengthen the relevance and quality of research, build trusted relationships, and increase the potential for positive societal impact.
To realise these benefits, researchers need access to appropriate support, time, opportunities, training and resources.
The information gathered through this survey will help us understand what is already happening, where barriers exist, and how we can develop an environment in which high-quality PEIR can thrive.
Ultimately, better-supported PEIR leads to stronger relationships, richer insights, more inclusive research, and better research outcomes.
Have your say
Whether PEIR is a small part of your workload or the focus of your role, your experience matters.
The survey should only take a few minutes to complete, but the insights gained will help us build a clearer picture of PEIR across Bath and shape how support develops in the future.
Thank you for helping us create a stronger, more connected and better-supported PEIR community at Bath.
Take the survey: PEIR Mapping Survey
Respond
