Have you organised or been part of a public event so far this year? If so, then make sure it's recorded otherwise it won't be counted in our return for the Higher Education Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey.
What is the HE-BCI survey?
Each year the University, along with other higher education institutions, are asked to provide information on a range of activities, from business and public or third-sector involvement in research to consultancy and the commercialisation of intellectual property.
Our return to this survey helps inform the amount of funding we get as part of Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) the following year.
Ultimately, the more data we have in our return, the more money the University gets to continue to carry out this sort of activity.
Social, community and cultural engagement
The diverse range of public-facing events that you may have organised or been part of is just one of the ways we share and exchange our research with people outside the University, and we need to make sure they are counted.
We at the Public Engagement Unit, look after the University's return for the social, community and cultural engagement section of the HE-BCI survey. Have you organised or been part of an event since 1 August 2023?
If so, then now is the time to let us know about it to make sure it's counted in our return!
What counts?
If you have organised, been part of or delivered an event where:
- University-generated knowledge has been exchanged with anyone as long as they are from outside of academia (this could be any type of audience or public or community group)
and
- It falls in one of the following three categories:
-
- Public lectures. This category includes public lectures and talks either in-person or online.
- Performance arts (music, dance, drama). This category includes performances of music, dance, and the dramatic arts either in-person or online.
- Other. These are alternative public events which cannot be categorised above and is wide open for interpretation, anything that isn't the above. Could include festival events, guided tours, activities (education or exhibitions) in non-University-owned museums and galleries, anything.
and
- Took place any time since 1 August 2023.
Then it counts!
What events cannot be included?
There are several event categories that cannot be included in the return we submit to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. They include:
- Open days or student recruitment activities
- Student union activities that are student-facing or public-facing
- Widening participation activities organised as part of the University's Widening Participation commitments for the Access Plan accountable to the Office for Students
- Training programmes for learners that are for continuous professional development
What do you need to do next?
If your event meets the above criteria, please record the relevant details on the Social, Community and Cultural Engagement form.
If you have any questions, please do drop us a line (public-engagement@bath.ac.uk)
Dean Veall is Deputy Head of Public Engagement at the University of Bath.
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