⌚ Estimated reading time: 10 minutes Dr Bonnie Buyuklieva CAPE Policy Fellow, Housing Energy Efficiency Data is vital in enhancing energy efficiency policies, and comparability is essential for its effectiveness. Identifying the evidence required to support future policymaking at both the local scale and across the four UK nations highlights the importance of collaboration. By bridging data gaps, we can establish a solid foundation for energy efficiency and net-zero policies.. This briefing note is the outcome of a CAPE knowledge exchange project, conducted in collaboration with International Public Policy Observatory, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Welsh … Continued

This case study reports on a collaboration project between the Austerity and Altered Life-Courses (AALC) research team at The University of Manchester (UoM) and the Poverty Strategy team at Manchester City Council (MCC). The project aimed to co-develop innovative strategies to address poverty in Manchester, using co-production to achieve mutual benefit. Key outcomes include Anti-Poverty Strategy, qualitative research training for MCC staff, and recommendations for affordable childcare. The collaboration has strengthened the relationship between MCC and UoM and has provided new opportunities for further joint initiatives.

In this case study report, Jane McDermott (University of Manchester) reflects on her CAPE policy fellowship in the Science, Research and Evidence Directorate at the Department of Health and Social Care. The case study reports on her work developing the Women’s Health Strategy for England including the key priorities and commitment to co-production which helped to shape the work. The case study reveals Jane’s own reflections on her experience of the fellowship, outlines key challenges, lessons learned and the benefits it has brought to herself and her policy partners.

Drawing from her experience as a United Nations Delegate for the Commission on the Status of Women, University of Cambridge and British Library PhD candidate, Kirstie Stage reflects on the progress and barriers to developing disability policy in national and international settings. The blog explores the importance of building communities and the interconnectedness of disability policy with other realms, and offers insights into how greater inclusivity can be achieved.

Moving from a policy-focused environment to a university setting can offer both challenges and rewards. In this blog, CAPE policy fellow, Laura Koch (from Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) provides a reflection on her latest policy fellowship, highlighting how exposure to new settings and perspectives as part of the experience has influenced her own approach to policymaking.

Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) are lists of policy issues or questions that can be used by parliamentary committees to invite research evidence for decision making. They are designed to build dialogue between researchers and policymakers, providing a new mechanism to broaden the research evidence submitted to parliamentary committees and the expertise available to them.

In this blog, Hannah Johnson (Knowledge Exchange Lead, Welsh Parliament/Senedd Cymru) discusses how the use of ARIs has helped to encourage diversity in the evidence submitted to the Senedd committees, encouraging new perspectives to inform scrutiny and law-making.

This work has been developed in collaboration with CAPE policy fellow, Rob Davies. This is Rob’s second CAPE fellowship, and it builds on his previous experiences of developing ARIs with UK Parliament Select Committees.

The House of Lords select committee on Artificial Intelligence in Weapon Systems has launched a new Area of Research Interest (ARI) alongside their Call for Evidence. Academics, research institutions and experts with technical and other expertise concerning AI in Weapon Systems are invited to complete a short survey about their research.

As part of our exploration into the importance of knowledge exchange events in academic-policy engagement, we reflect on a pilot network within CAPE called the Policy Knowledge Brokers Forum (PKBF). The network bought together policy knowledge brokers in policy organisations to meet and share experiences. Kayleigh Renberg Fawcett and Jenny Hasenfuss, CAPE coordinators who supported the network, share reflections on what we’ve learnt based on the collective experience from founding members of the network from the Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology, Government Office for Science, and the Evidence & Partnerships Hub at the Ministry of Justice . Our insights from this initiative show that knowledge exchange events are a great way to build networks, provide a safe space for disruptive thinking, and work well when there is a diversity of voices present. 

The House of Commons International Development Committee has now updated its Areas of Research Interest for 2023 to support the Committee’s scrutiny of the UK’s international development strategy and funding. Academics at all career stages, research institutions, and experts are encouraged to register their interest in these ARIs, add their existing research in the topic areas to the ARI repository, provide their insights, and suggest questions that the Committee could be asking the Government. 

‘Social infrastructure’ is a phrase often used by policy makers and academics to describe places where people come together. But what does this phrase mean to local communities and how can we include them in discussions about these spaces? In 2022 the Bennett Institute for Public Policy ran a CAPE funded project with the Institute for Community Studies to explore. Owen Garling, Knowledge Transfer Facilitator at the Institute, reflects on the experience of talking about social infrastructure with community groups, how the project effectively engaged the public, and why it’s so important they are included in conversations.