Why engage?
The main measured outcome from research projects are academic publications, which are read by academics. “Publish and be damned” is the researcher’s mantra and through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) the number of academic publications produced is directly link to the amount of core funding a University receives. Little wonder then that most researchers feel they do not have the time to explain their research to non-academics who might benefit from their outcomes.
However, the funding councils, who distribute money for specific research projects, realise that the majority of people who can benefit from research are not necessarily experts in the field being studied, but rather non-specialist “publics”. Non-specialists can be the general public, industrialist, patient groups, politicians or even academics in another discipline. So in order to redress the balance the UK Higher Education Funding Councils, the Research Councils UK and the Wellcome Trust have launched a new initiative to establish a coordinated approach to recognising, rewarding and building capacity for public engagement. Six Beacons for Public Engagement have been set up in Manchester, Newcastle and Durham, Norwich, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh with a National Coordinating Centre at Bristol.
The Edinburgh Beltane – Beacon for Public Engagement is four year project led by the University of Edinburgh, but has an extensive range of partners. Named after the spring festival, when different communities would come together and matchmaking would take place, the Edinburgh Beltane partnership is based on existing collaborations in public engagement (PE) activities amongst its members. The combination of academic research institutes and public engagement experts in the partners bode well for exciting events and activities for the public involvement in cutting edge research.
The aim of all the Beacons for Public Engagement is to bring about a change in the culture of Higher Education Institutes (HEI’s) so that research findings are shared in a meaningful way with the public. In addition the Edinburgh Beltane is working with the theme of encouraging citizen participation and understanding of areas of research relevant to public policy such as health and life sciences, energy and the environment.
Bringing about any culture change is a formidable challenge and the Edinburgh Beltane strategy involves two main approaches. The first is to foster growth of the skills and capabilities of researchers. The second is to change the perception about what it means to do public engagement. The Beltane aims to achieve this through a number of key programmes, namely:
- Public Engagement Fellows
- Public Engagement Challenges
- Partnership and Network Building
- Providing Training and Staff Development
- Working with Human Resources Departments
- Encouraging Institutions to establish Public Engagement Awards
Public Engagement Fellowships will be part time secondments enable academics and researchers to concentrate on public engagement developments. The Public Engagement Fellowships will allow academics time for personal development and to make valuable contacts and partnerships in the PE sphere, but also importantly the Fellows will act as ambassadors for Public Engagement in their institutions.
Public Engagement Challenges will provide seed funding for new Public Engagement ventures which will then compete to win financial support for further development. This will provide opportunities to develop innovative approaches and the competition element will serve to raise standards.
An Networking events will provide opportunities for interdisciplinary, and interinstitutional partnerships to grow, and Training and Staff Development will provide the skills and confidence necessary to take the first step, or next step, into the public engagement arena.
Academics who excel at public engagement are often perceived as not favourably contributing to an institutions reputation, and the Edinburgh Beltane will endeavour to change this view. By working with Human Resources Departments we hope to establish rewards in the promotion policies for those who are successful in public engagement. Excellence in public engagement should be recognised and we will be encouraging all the institutions to establish Public Engagement Awards similar to the Tam Dalyell Prize at the University of Edinburgh.
The Beacons for Public Engagement initiative represents a significant shift in the Research Councils’ approach to public engagement with research. It recognises how important it is for researchers and HEI’s to play their part in society and policy making. With the expertise available in its partnerships, we feel that the Edinburgh Beltane will be a successful a means of encouraging, supporting and helping researchers to play their role.
