In December 2020, the Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement partnership (CAPE) co-facilitated a workshop with Camden Council at a meeting of the London Policy & Strategy Network. The aim of the workshop was to explore: current policy challenges for local councils difficulties in accessing research evidence and expertise The discussion at the workshop will inform the development of CAPE activities to support engagement with local councils within London and across England.
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CAPE is pleased to announce a new Policy Fellowship opportunity with Yorkshire Universities (YU), working together with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). This role will require the successful candidate to work closely with YU, WYCA, PERN and other partners in West Yorkshire, including local authorities, further education, health and care sector, communities and business. The main responsibilities will be to: Act as a conduit for academic expertise and research evidence to inform policy considerations and development in West Yorkshire, in order to: expand the understanding and use of high-quality expertise and evidence in regional policy development; and increase the … Continued
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CAPE is working with the Scrutiny Unit of the House of Commons Committee Office to support the implementation of the 2017-19 Liaison Committee’s report recommendations on use of research evidence. A 6-month Policy Fellowship is providing dedicated expertise to explore how to support the use of research evidence in Parliament. This includes working with Select Committees on developing their Areas of Research Interests (ARIs) and considering how to develop more systematic structures of cooperation between parliament and research institutions. The Fellowship will explore appropriate tools and incentives to encourage engagement and help to provide evaluation of new initiatives. The project activities … Continued
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Capabilities in Academic Policy Exchange (CAPE) and the Evidence and Partnerships Hub in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data and Analytical Services Directorate are excited to announce their new collaboration exploring how to strengthen links between policy/practice and the academic community. Our engagement programme will run throughout 2021 with the aim of learning more about effective modes of knowledge exchange and addressing key evidence gaps in the MoJ Areas of Research Interest (ARI) publication. Activities will be developed iteratively in response to need and are expected to include collaborative events, training, commencement of fellowships and secondments, and co-created research projects. … Continued
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The Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU), was formed in September 2018 by the Parliamentary Office for Science & Technology (POST), a CAPE partner, and has just celebrated its second anniversary. KEU was created to support, enhance and diversify the exchange of information and expertise between parliament and the research community, and has published a report reflecting on their achievements and plans for the future. CAPE welcomes this report and we look forward to working with them on their priorities for the coming year. Read more: About POST The Knowledge Exchange Unit two year report
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English councils should appoint scientific advisers to enable academics to inform local policy decisions, according to a university leader. Read the full article at Times Higher Education
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Covid-19 has underlined the need for more coordinated and comprehensive engagement with policymakers, say David Price, Sarah Chaytor and Andrew Wathey. Read the full article in Times Higher Education.
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Sarah Chaytor, UCL’s director of research strategy and policy, says a new UCL-led project will give academics the tools to influence policy. Read the full article on University Business.
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Marking the launch of Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE), Sarah Chaytor and Andy Westwood make the case for a step-change in academic-policy engagement. Read the full article on WonkHE.
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Research England has awarded almost £4m to a consortium of universities to explore ways of improving academic-policy engagement. Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement (CAPE) is a partnership between UCL and the universities of Cambridge, Manchester, Nottingham and Northumbria, as well as Parliament, Government and policy organisations. As the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated, the need for reliable evidence which can inform public debate and policy has never been greater. With increasing pressure on public finances, it is also vital that local and central governments can be confident that their policy interventions will be effective and successful – and academic expertise has a … Continued
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