Support for public engagement
The University of St Andrews is dedicated to high-quality public engagement with research, and the public engagement with research (PER) team can give you all the support you need to achieve this.
Public engagement is a great opportunity to inspire and co-create your research and to further your career development. The PER team has a wide range of expertise and is happy to help with every step along the way, including designing suitable delivery formats, training, and evaluation.
For additional support, please contact the team.
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From stand-up comedy workshops to evaluation, the PER team delivers training in the practical and theoretical elements of development, delivery, and evaluation of engagement activity.
In close collaboration with OSDS, the team has created a suite of tailored training: the Public Engagement Portfolio. The portfolio training suite caters for different goals, whether you are looking for a one-off training or are keen on being awarded with the full certificate for your career development.
Workshops and training include:
- practical public engagement
- evaluation of public engagement
- project management
- engaging with the public: schools outreach and festivals
- finding you public engagement voice
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Public engagement activities are often funded through research grants or specific engagement awards from research funders or professional bodies. Additionally there is an increasing number of PER fellowships available. If you are interested in exploring funding opportunities for your activities or if you would like support with the PER related sections of your research grant, please contact the team at standendgaged@st-andrews.ac.uk.
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If you are planning on submitting a research or public engagement grant application or are looking for funding opportunities, please get in contact with the PER team by emailing standengaged@st-andrews.ac.uk as early as possible.
The PER team are experienced in grant writing, have up-to-date information on funder requirements, and are available for one-to-one meetings to give you all the support you need to develop a strong case for public engagement and a competitive grant proposal.
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Not all projects or activities require a full evaluation plan. Whatever your activity, you will want to know at the very least if it has met your aims and the funders' expectations, and had the expected or even unexpected impacts.
An important part of any successful public engagement with research activity is evaluation and should be considered from the very start of your project. Initial evaluation will likely start with identifying the purpose of your activity and the people you want to reach. This should be the first point informing your decisions on your further development and delivery of activity and on your final aims and objectives.
Evaluation of these aims and objectives will include both quantitative data (e.g. number of attendees, including researchers, and time spent on the activity) and qualitative data (e.g. influence the activity has had on attendees, including researchers).
For a thorough and considered summary of evaluation of public engagement activity, visit the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement evaluation web pages. In addition, the PER team offers one-on-one consultations (email standengaged@st-andrews.ac.uk) and training.
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Every activity needs to be promoted to ensure that the audience you want to engage with is informed, invited, and feels welcome. The PER team can help you identify the most effective channels to contact your audience, such as social media, posters, flyers, or print, and can redirect you to support units within the University that have the relevant expertise to further your reach.
Social media can be a great tool for public engagement, allowing you to efficiently connect with your audience at a time that suits them and you over extended periods of time.
However, using social media for public engagement with your research can be a daunting task. It’s important to carefully plan how social media can help your public engagement and to consider how to use it responsibly, safely and inclusively.
For a thorough and considered summary on using social media, see the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement web pages.
If you would like to share your event or activity on the public engagement team's social media channels, please get in contact by emailing standengaged@st-andrews.ac.uk.
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Reading list
The PER team in collaboration with the University library has compiled a list of papers, journals and books which can inform your public engagement, from development and delivery to evaluation. See the reading list.NCCPE
The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) was founded in 2008 as part of the Beacons for Public Engagement initiative and is supported by UK Research and Innovation, the devolved Higher Education funding bodies, and Wellcome.Their website has comprehensive resources on public engagement with research for the public, for researchers and for institutions. See the NCCPE website.
Resources from funders
You can find links to funders pages on public engagement below. If you are aware of any pages that are not currently included, please contact standengaged@st-andrews.ac.uk.