Institutional Context
Summary
The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) is a self-governing institution within the University of London. It specialises in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing, and biological sciences, and is ranked first in the world for veterinary science. The RVC’s holistic approach to knowledge exchange combines basic, applied, and clinical disciplines to examine problems in veterinary medicine and bioscience, identifying solutions for the betterment of animal and human health and welfare. It does so through strategic partnerships with industry, academia and government agencies, resulting in interdisciplinary teams that focus on globally important challenges, notably, food safety, food security, human and animal infectious disease, animal welfare, chronic degenerative problems of ageing, and diseases of the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, renal and central nervous systems.
Institutional context
The RVC is the UK's largest and longest-established independent vet school, educating the whole veterinary team, and their knowledge base, including animal scientists of all kinds. The three pillars of our Mission are world-leading Education, the Discovery and translation of knowledge, and the delivery of optimal Clinical Care and opinion. These missions are based on innovative research, excellence in scholarship, and pioneering clinical activity.
RVC’s ~200 academic staff are at the cutting edge of veterinary science and RVC is ranked first for veterinary science in the QS World University Ranking By Subject 2022.
RVC has institutional strengths in a range of subjects across two broad research themes:
Integrated Research into Livestock and Food Systems (IRLFS) – research in food safety and security, antimicrobial resistance, and zoonotic disease risks to human health and host-pathogen responses, undertaken within a One Health perspective;
Comparative Physiology and Clinical Sciences (CPCS) – research in ageing, brain and cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal and renal biology, and bioengineering, benefiting from comparisons between animal and human systems.
Our REF2021 results highlight the increasing relevance of the RVC’s research to society, with 83% of RVC’s impact being scored 4*, and 7.5 of 9 impact case studies found to have “outstanding reach and significance”.
Clinical Science activities are underpinned by Europe’s largest group of specialist veterinarians delivering services through RVC’s three animal hospitals, two in Hertfordshire (small animal and equine referral hospitals) and one in London (small animal, walk-in) alongside referral practices. Additionally, RVC owns and operates the London Bioscience Innovation Centre (LBIC), which currently provides ~3100 m2 of wet-laboratories and office space for >50 SMEs active in the biological and biomedical sciences. LBIC’s capacity is planned to double from 2024.
The RVC has led flagship research and KE activities, including the UKRI GCRF One Health Poultry Hub (2019-24, £20 million), tackling global challenges linked to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and The Bloomsbury SET (2018-22, £6.9 million), a Connecting Capability Fund grant from Research England. These interdisciplinary programmes combine scientific expertise with insights from the social sciences.
This approach to knowledge exchange (KE) has amplified our research’s impact and is overseen by the Research Strategy Committee, chaired by the Vice-Principal for Research & Innovation, and supported by departments including RVC Business, External Relations, and the Research and Innovation Office. The Innovation Management Group oversees KE activities, under the direction of the Associate Dean for Innovation, ensuring they follow and enrich our HEIF strategy and align with our Corporate Research and Innovation strategy.
RVC has played a key role in strengthening national and local economies, including development support for Local Industrial Strategies in London and Hertfordshire. RVC is a member of a Life Sciences Opportunities Zone (2019) with strong regional connections, including with Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. RVC is Hertfordshire’s largest institutional recipient of Local Growth Funding, having secured £7 million towards a Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine (2018-24) and £2 million towards a Translational Research and Clinical Imaging facility (2020-22).
For further information, please send queries to ke@rvc.ac.uk
Local Growth and Regeneration
Summary of approach
The RVC, a self-governing institute of the University of London, is the UK’s largest and longest-established veterinary institution. A leading centre for fundamental and translational research in veterinary science, biomedicine, and biological sciences.
Based at two campuses in London (Camden) and Hertfordshire (Hawkshead), including Bolton’s Park Farm, we deliver research impact working with partners including business, government, and other stakeholders in the UK and internationally.
RVC owns and operates the London BioScience Innovation Centre (LBIC), established in 2000 as London’s first specialist incubator for the life science industry, currently home to 50+ biotechnology and life-science companies. RVC further supports local growth in Hertfordshire through the Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine and the Centre for Translational Research and Clinical Imaging.
Aspect 1: Strategy
The RVC is a research-intensive, specialist institution that undertakes fundamental and applied research in biology, biomedicine, the veterinary sciences and clinical veterinary medicine. As a specialist institution with campuses in Hertfordshire and London (Camden), the RVC’s research and activities have significant impacts both locally and internationally, through partnerships with a range of stakeholders.
The RVC employs 1000+ permanent staff across its two campuses and trains 2600+ students and researchers. The RVC is committed to maintaining good relations with neighbouring local communities, in both central London and rural Hertfordshire, and to making significant economic and social contributions to these two very distinct regions.
Our renewed Knowledge Exchange (KE) strategy for 2022-2026 reinforces our goal to be a leading international authority in animal health and welfare, and to produce highly skilled graduates capable of addressing local, national and international challenges in a rapidly-changing world. Our strategy from discovery to delivery is ambitious and designed with impact in mind, and core elements of this work link with local, and international, growth and regeneration.
To achieve our aims, KE activities are informed by the needs of relevant local stakeholders, and build on our strong relationships with groups including the Knowledge Quarter London Ltd and the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), alongside strategic regional neighbours including the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. Although the life sciences are relatively small in comparison to other sectors, in 2021 they generated at least £5.3bn of sales revenues for the Hertfordshire economy (https://www.hertfordshirelep.com/business/life-sciences/).
Key elements of our KE strategy with relevance to local growth include
Advancing the RVC’s London BioScience Innovation Centre (LBIC), to enhance economic growth, research and technology collaborations, and industry links in London’s Knowledge Quarter.
Establishing the Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine (CVRM) as a centre for excellence in industry-facing, university based-enterprise, focused on targeted vaccination and stem cell strategies.
Establishing the Centre for Translational and Clinical Imaging (TRACI), fostering links with key stakeholders and collaborators.
In 2019 we contributed to the Science and Innovation Audit which identified the immediate area around Kings Cross, including the RVC’s London campus and LBIC buildings, as containing one of the highest densities of knowledge-based businesses and science organisations in the world. The colocation of leading bioscience and information technology companies and institutes in this area is a key driver of our strategic plans.
At a regional level, RVC is one of several nationally-relevant institutions in southeast England focussing on animal heath, notably the Animal & Plant Health Agency and The Pirbright Institute, with whom we have agreements with and collaborate closely.
Looking at international growth, much of RVC’s research and knowledge exchange activity takes place in low- to middle-income countries (in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and South America), contributing to the UK Government’s aim of addressing the United Nations’ first three Sustainable Development Goals (the elimination of poverty and hunger; better food security, improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture; healthy lives). These aims are closely aligned with one of the two inter-disciplinary research themes at RVC: Integrated Research into Livestock and Food Systems (IRLFS). The RVC’s approach to supporting growth and longer-term economic development overseas has been defined through extensive consultation with its strategic partners and continues to build on the RVC’s Official Development Assistance and QR GCRF Strategy (2018-21).
Immediate and near-future global challenges inform our international strategy, in particular the imperative to create sufficient, safe, ethical, and sustainable food in a warming world. Translation of research into policy is vital for successful implementation of solutions resulting from research. Our expertise is demonstrated and has been strengthened by our leadership of the joint WOAH Collaborating Centre in Risk Analysis and Modelling (with APHA), the FAO Veterinary Epidemiology Reference Centre, the London Interdisciplinary Development Centre, and the GCRF One Health Poultry Hub. The Poultry Hub has stakeholder-driven priorities related to end-user needs and strong networks of local, regional and global partners. Consequently the evidence generated from the Poultry Hub can be put to immediate use by those who can make a difference and the Hub’s outcomes will have wide regional and global relevance.
The RVC has an institutional structure to deliver its KE strategy. The strategy is developed and overseen by the Research Strategy Committee, chaired by the Vice-Principal for Research and Innovation, and is supported by dedicated KE professionals in the Research and Innovation Office. The Associate Dean for Innovation chairs the Innovation Management Group that manages individual KE activities in order to implement our strategy and align it with our Corporate Research and Innovation strategies. Through participation in key professional networks, the RVC has become a partner in driving local growth through various mechanisms, some of which are described below. The RVC’s strategy for knowledge activities has been informed by our engagements with local regional and international partners, and continues to evolve to meet their needs.
Aspect 2: Activity
In the last five years, the RVC has increased greatly its regional and local profile in response to identified People and Place elements of the UK Industrial Strategy. It is doing so by training veterinarians and biological scientists, and by harnessing its unique specialist expertise to create and propel a range of life science-focused initiatives in London and Hertfordshire. Each of these will support economic growth through new infrastructure and highly-skilled jobs. Given our small specialist nature, and the distinct environments of our two campuses, our KE activities are focussed and discrete. We will summarise activity at each campus in turn.
June 2021 marked the 21st anniversary of the incorporation of the London BioScience Innovation Centre (LBIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of RVC, situated within London’s Knowledge Quarter. During the past 21 years, LBIC has supported 200+ companies across the breadth of biotech and life sciences and helped create and sustain local employment and build shareholder value.
LBIC is a key component of the RVC’s knowledge exchange and innovation agenda and is ideally placed to capitalise on predicted growth in the UK’s commercial bioscience sector. Demand for space from bioscience companies is at an unprecedented high level. London’s Knowledge Quarter is a preferred location due to the presence of prestigious research institutions, including the Francis Crick Institute and RVC, and an influx of international companies including Google and innovative biopharma companies including Merck, AstraZeneca, and GSK. The “London Life Sciences Real Estate Demand Report” published by MedCity in 2022 confirmed that need across London is up fourfold since 2016, with 500,000 sq feet of unmet demand.
Rich Ferrie became CEO of LBIC in July 2021 and is leading a growth and development programme to support the increasing need for quality spaces to allow bioscience SME expansion in London. During 2022, LBIC announced that it was expanding its flagship space by opening new innovation centres on its Hawkshead campus and adjacent to its existing facilities in Kings Cross. Overall, by 2024, LBIC’s footprint will grow from 28000 to 68000 sq ft. Future recruitment will target a community of high-calibre biotech companies, with a focus on research synergy with RVC and the opportunity to create new jobs and economic value in London and Hertfordshire (https://www.lbic.com/lbic-expansion).
Since LBIC’s inception, there have also been opportunities for RVC students to visit or undertake a placement with LBIC clients, to help develop the next generation of scientists, working with careers groups within the College.
Camden Town Unlimited (CTU) is the elected representative of businesses within Camden and delivers a range of projects locally alongside consultation with the community. As the Business Improvement District (BID) for Camden Town, CTU aims to enhance the commercial environment for local businesses. The LBIC CEO sits on CTU’s Board. Additionally, LBIC and RVC staff work with local councils and environmental bodies to find ways to further the sustainability agenda, including reducing carbon emissions through monitoring projects and exploring new ways to improve recycling.
LIFT (Leading Inclusive Futures through Technology) is a three-year programme across Camden, Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets that helps residents into good local jobs in the knowledge economy, including the Life Sciences, and to support businesses and start-ups to thrive within these sectors. LBIC held a tour in 2022 for LIFT and the community, to showcase the breadth of life science careers available. LBIC also facilitated a work placement with a large client company and in January 2023 took on a temporary worker on a 12-week contract. LIFT and LBIC are also now exploring a paid internship programme to support local upskilling.
We next summarise activity at our Hertfordshire site, which comprises the RVC Hawkshead Campus and adjacent Boltons Park Farm. The RVC’s approach in Hertfordshire has been to partner with key stakeholders, including the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult in Stevenage, and to lead individual bids that complement internal strengths. RVC has secured funding from Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund (CCF) and Hertfordshire’s Getting Building Fund.
The RVC has engaged successfully with the Hertfordshire LEP, including participating in the successful attainment of Life Science Opportunities Zone, (2019) alongside a consortium led by the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst and the Hertfordshire LEP, which has developed into a High Potential Opportunity Zone. This has led The Department for International Trade to promote the region as an international investment opportunity. The RVC brings its expertise as a small specialist institution to this partnership and the region.
These regional developments are aligned with the RVC’s strategic decision to redevelop its Hertfordshire Hawkshead Campus, which includes the Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine (due to open in summer 2023) and the Translational Research and Clinical Imaging building (due for completion in summer 2023), both of which received financial investment from the Hertfordshire LEP. The former will provide modern laboratories and scientific equipment for RVC researchers, and a dedicated SME space managed by LBIC, and the latter will house a 3-Tesla MRI scanner capable of providing novel solutions to cardiovascular and neurological conditions in humans and animals. These flagship infrastructure and capacity developments will support regeneration through creating new jobs and safeguarding existing posts, providing training for skilled individuals crucial to the life sciences sector, and by creating 250 m2 of high-quality floor-space for SMEs, with the intention of attracting inward investment. We anticipate measurable impacts from the new campus investment and joint SME and specialist facilities.
On the international stage, our flagship GCRF programme, the Poultry Hub, undertakes work in Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam leading to impacts related to growth. This exemplifies true knowledge exchange with a range of stakeholders at all levels of the food production chain, in the context of locally-driven priorities for growth. Safe, reliable and sustainable sources of food is a key aim of both the UN Sustainable Development Goals and of growing economies in Low-to-Middle Income countries. In Bangladesh, the poultry sector is a rising sector of the national economy, second only to the garment sector.
Lastly, the RVC is one of the largest providers of clinical specialist training in Europe through programmes like the Postgraduate Certification in Veterinary Clinical Practice, the Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Nursing, and the Masters in Veterinary Medicine. It is also a major supplier of veterinary Continuing Professional Development (CPD), of postgraduate professional certificates accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and of training for veterinary nurses, including post-registration courses in Advanced Veterinary Nursing. RVC therefore contributes substantially to the public good through promoting state‐of‐the‐art veterinary training services, a provision of national importance given identified shortages in the sector.
Aspect 3: Results
In 2022 RVC LBIC enjoyed a successful year, with an occupancy level averaging 93%. The presence of clients physically on‐site is now at pre‐pandemic levels and there has been a resumption of in‐person networking and upskilling events, with a full programme planned for the next financial year. We also expect the new LBIC expansion site to show significant impact from 2024 onwards.
In Hertfordshire, RVC has engaged closely with the Hertfordshire LEP in designing local industrial strategies to enhance growth and create employment. We expect the new Hawkshead Campus investment and SME and specialist facility space to see an obvious impact in the next iteration of KEF, and we are already seeing a number of formal CPD and training events linked to both the new facilities, CVRM and TRACI. Construction of the Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Medicine (CVRM), part funded by £7.0m from the Hertfordshire LEP, at Hawkshead is now complete. Academic labs have been occupied as part of first fix, with SME clients expected to join from summer 2023. In addition to safeguarding position, and creating new jobs, the CVRM is expected to contribute to local growth through training and upskilling. CPD associated with the CVRM has trained 34 people to date in practical skills including GMO and Home Office modules. The CVRM has recruited a scientific advisory board and is developing its research strategy. The Centre for Translational Research & Clinical Imaging (TRACI), which received £2.1m support from the Hertfordshire LEP, is expected to be fully operational later in 2023 following the installation of its cornerstone MRI machine, and will also contribute to the local Life Sciences strategy, and create new posts.
Within the Poultry Hub, outputs and activities are reported both on the Hub website and often highlighted in the RVC news pages, as well as being presented to the Hub’s leadership committees, comprising a range of stakeholders. In Sri Lanka, in 2022, over 60 stakeholders in poultry production and distribution attended a meeting organised by the Hub to develop these topics. Delegates included farmers, middlemen, traders, market stall holders, and slaughterers. Additional courses, including knowledge exchange sessions with farmers and veterinarians were also organised. During the of Covid-19 pandemic, the Poultry Hub team organised the sessions on Zoom and broadcast them on Facebook Live. An interactive format enabled participants to share their problems around farm practices and professionals to suggest effective solutions.
A series of ‘One Health’ Poultry Hub online training sessions aimed at poultry farmers, field veterinarians, and veterinary students in Bangladesh is now in its third year, and has trained over 10,000 people. Two training courses, covering 27 training sessions, were held between September 2020 and January 2022, and a third course is underway. Farmers, traders, slaughterhouse workers and others in the networks of people that make up poultry production and distribution in the country often have limited knowledge of the importance of poultry health and biosecurity for public health. A poultry farmer who participated the course said:
“I think poultry farmers in Bangladesh never had participated in this kind of fantastic online training; The trainer is the best poultry professional in Bangladesh. Really helpful for us. Thanks for organising this type of fantastic training session. I would like to request One Health Poultry Hub Bangladesh team to keep up to continue this excellent training in future”.
Public & Community Engagement
Summary of approach
In addition to clear objectives related to Access and Widening Participation and recruitment, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) undertakes a range of public and community engagement activities underpinning its core work in education, research and clinical care.
Across its two campuses in London and Hertfordshire, including a farm and animal hospitals, the RVC works with a range of key stakeholders outside the academic community to deliver its core missions and strategy. From local neighbours to international partners, the RVC delivers a broad remit of knowledge exchange including citizen science, large clinical studies with animal carer involvement, and public education, awareness and events, including the Royal Society Summer Science exhibitions and our own Open Farm events.
Aspect 1: Strategy
As a small institution specialising in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing and the biosciences, much of our public engagement resource and strategy is focussed on widening participation in those STEM subjects. Whilst student recruitment is outside the scope of this KEF statement, we note that the RVC prioritises this work, and employs staff dedicated to widening participation.
Various departments within the RVC undertake knowledge exchange work related to public engagement, which is supported by colleagues in External Relations, academic and clinical staff, and the Research and Innovation Office. RVC does not have a dedicated office and strategy for public engagement, rather it is a common thread throughout our activities. Activities in different parts of RVC report to their appropriate internal groups, e.g, the Research Strategy Committee, Academic Board, or College Executive Committee, and ultimately to RVC Council.
RVC’s P&CE activities are therefore delivered through our three Mission pillars:
Education
Discovery and translation of new knowledge
Delivery of the very best clinical care and opinion
In addition to clinicians, students and researchers working on relevant activities, there are approximately 16 professional services staff with aspects their roles related to P&CE, supporting a wide range of actions and events that are open to all.
Education
As a small institution specialising in a single vocation, much of our resource and strategy related to public engagement is focussed on widening participation in biosciences, veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing.
During 2020/21 when pandemic-related social restrictions were in place, the RVC delivered new online resources to encourage children and young people to develop an interest in animals and biology, including the Animal Academy online resource, which comprises videos, explanations of animal handling, and behaviour presentations. Nearly 200 people signed up in the first three months.
Discovery
There are many examples of P&CE across the RVC’s two core research themes, some described in ‘Activity’, below, ranging from fundamental bioscience research, and clinical care related to the animals we live and work with, through to understanding public health and safe and sustainable food systems.
Scientific research that involves experimental animals can be emotive for the wider community and requires proper and careful articulation. We explain proactively to the public how our research supports new animal treatments and human medicine, and the role that experimental animals play in our research. This openness is key to RVC’s strategy and expectations when disseminating research outcomes. RVC is a signatory to the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, which is assessed by members of the public, and our retention of the ‘Leader in Openness’ status for another three years from 2022 is a key measure of our work in this area.
It is vital to understand how the solutions we develop will be used and whether they will gain societal acceptance. Engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, including policy makers, social scientists, and industry and private practitioners at the appropriate stage of the research is crucial.
Clinical care
Working with partners from other professions and disciplines, to combine knowledge and professional perspectives, is a strong underlying principle of our clinical care, leading to large interdisciplinary teams working to common goals. The confident, caring and informed manner in which our clinical teams engage the public (owners of animals we treat) is critically important to the success of our hospitals.
Our flagship Veterinary Companion Animal Surveillance System (VetCompass™) focuses on improving companion animal health and recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. VetCompass receives core strategic support and is highly active in communication of its findings to both pet owners, the public and referral clinics.
RVC academics are members of many professional colleges in leadership roles, and our independent expertise is also offered through CPD for vets and vet nurses from many areas of clinical practice.
Aspect 2: Support
Internal staff resource and funding related to P&CE is focussed on student recruitment and widening participation. Therefore, the RVC uses external funding to support many of our wider P&CE activities. In 2021 and 2022 we used some of our QR Policy Support and Participatory award allocations to support small projects that have involved public engagement. Elements of our Connecting Capabilities Fund award, The Bloomsbury SET (2018-2022), have also supported projects with strong public and community engagement, including citizen science.
Our approach to P&CE is unique to the work we undertake and the communities we engage with as a small specialist institution. Key stakeholders include owners, breeders and keepers of animals, experienced professionals including veterinary and animal care groups, and community members of all ages with an interest in the biological sciences.
RVC staff are part of local networks whose work includes:
Working with London’s Knowledge Quarter Community Engagement sub-group and Steering Group; contributing to activities including developing the KQ 25 strategic plan.
Engaging with the local business community in London, e.g. via Camden Town Unlimited, a group dedicated to supporting business improvement and resilience.
In 2022, the RVC launched an internal Workload Allocation Management (WAM) system for academic staff, which will in future enable an understanding of the time engaged on different activities. The granularity of categories is under review, and good citizenship, including public engagement, is included. Prior to the WAM, academic staff were asked annually to complete a survey, held by the Research and Innovation Office, to monitor activities related to P&CE, which was used as part of appraisals.
The RVC’s External Relations team, supported by external experts, offers bespoke media training, support and advice to all staff (research, clinical, and teaching) who engage with the media and public. Additionally in 2021 we hosted a P&CE training afternoon focussed on Early Career Researchers.
Our website (www.rvc.ac.uk/) provides information on RVC activities, e.g. clinical practice or research, organised to ensure that each strand is cross-referenced with associated information. Significant support for this is provided by various members of the External Relations team, offering tailored information to different audiences (e.g. potential students: www.rvc.ac.uk/study; or local neighbours:https://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/rvc-is-open-for-all/rvc-in-the-community), and internal connections for our staff and students, as well as social media management and public relations. RVC events are prominently promoted and news is served both from the homepage and in specialist sections.
Aspect 3: Activity
RVC directly involves the public in research surveys and topical 'conversational' campaigns, which combine research and engagement. For example, our work on the breeding and ownership of flat-faced dogs has received national attention. We also support Citizen Science (the practice of public participation and collaboration in research) through the Bloomsbury SET CCF grant and QR budgets.
Through this period of reporting, P&CE activities were severely impacted by COVID- 19 restrictions. However new opportunities arose, and the RVC responded flexibly to deliver activities online.
Biology Champions (Autumn 2021) saw over 2000 young people take part in six online evening sessions, hosted by the RVC and showcasing the career journeys of several of our academics. The RVC also offers many focussed engagement opportunities for animal breeders and carers, e.g the Equine Owner Client Lecture Series between Aug 2019 and July 2022 had 1545 attendees (either live/online), providing a valuable forum for discussion and advice (https://www.rvc.ac.uk/equine-vet/information-and-advice/talks-and-events).
VetCompass has used innovative new methods to ensure the wider uptake of its research. It summarises its key research findings into accessible infographics to meet different user needs (three examples shown below). This reframes the typical academic model (in which research is shared mainly with other scientific colleagues) and instead openly disseminates infographics, empowering owners, breeders and veterinary professionals to use the latest evidence to improve animal health.
Events
Following two years of COVID-19 restrictions, we re-opened our doors at RVC’s Bolton’s Park Farm for Open Farm Sunday in June 2022, welcoming a record 1000+ visitors. The event was organised and supported by members of the External Relations team, along with the Farm Teams and Research and Teaching staff, contributing 200+ people hours, with no charge made to visitors. The biggest event to date, it received excellent feedback with many visitors expressing a desire to return in 2023.
In March 2022, over 100 children visited RVC Bolton’s Park Farm after reopening for school visits, which are organised by the Community Relations & Events Team, student ambassadors, and the Farm Manager. For many young children this was their first experience with farm animals.
These events are key strategic community engagement activities for the RVC, showcasing a range of veterinary and farm related activities to a wide range of people, sharing insight and experiential opportunities around farm management, animal husbandry, veterinary science and research, as part of our ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy https://www.rvc.ac.uk/static/newsletter/eclipse/2022/index.html#p=72)
The “Life at the Limits Night” event took place at the RVC in November 2019. This event was aimed at the public (ages 16+) and showcased our academics’ work, welcoming over 300 people to our Camden site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-tOwuJH8PE.
The RVC subsequently delivered “Eagle Inspired Engineering” showcasing work on animal flight with the University of Bristol, following a successful competitive application to The Royal Society’s Summer Science event (July 2021; https://stories.rvc.ac.uk/eagle-inspired-engineering/index.html). Aimed at school-age children and families to inspire them to get involved with science, and undertaken online due to COVID restrictions, the overall event had 65,000 participants/visitors across several online formats (workshops; presentations; live streams). RVC’s content has attracted 13000 YouTube visitors to date and Prof Richard Bomphrey’s LinkedIn posts about this event achieved >19k views. There were 52 public workshop bookings and 38 schools attended ‘Meet the Researcher’ sessions.
Projects and public engagement
Our work on “Pandemic Puppies”, undertaken from 2020 onwards, explores the motivations and behaviours of UK owners who acquired puppies during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. There has been significant P&CE throughout. Receiving both RVC and external grant funding, this has been supported by social media and qualitative surveys, facilitated by the External Relations team. Two surveys were undertaken online, in 2020 and 2022, receiving 7545 and 2827 responses, respectively. Further education and information was delivered by the national press coverage for this work (e.g.Guardian). Animal welfare is a key area of RVC research, and in addition to lay members of the public, this project has included knowledge exchange activities with a range of stakeholders including the scientific community, animal welfare sector, and international delegates (vets, scientists), and has communicated the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on puppy acquisition, early life experiences and long-term behaviour issues.
In 2021, the RVC’s emergency/small animal clinicians noted an unusual spike in admissions and enquiries for feline pancytopenia, a very rare cat disease with a mortality rate greater than 60%. The External Relations team were tasked with raising awareness across the veterinary profession, via veterinary media outlets and social media, and a new dedicated webpage. Drawing on all three pillars of the RVC’s mission, this work included stakeholders including the Food Standards Agency, the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, professional veterinary organisations (RCVS, BVA, BSAVA), and cat owners. Since its launch, the RVC Pancytopenia website has had 115000 users, which is the highest level of online engagement for RVC research in 6+ years, with additional information for cat owners added in June 2021. There was extensive media engagement with this work, and by July 2021 there were over 1300 pancytopenia articles in the media, print and online. RVC’s unique position as a leading animal health advocate with links to key stakeholders and the public greatly increased the dissemination, value and impact of this work.
Our work is readily accessible on the RVC website, and this transparency led to our receipt of the Leadership in Openness Award, originally awarded in 2019 and renewed in 2022. Further, in 2019, Professor Dominic Wells received the Understanding Animal Research Individual Award in recognition of his P&CE work with the media, MPs and other stakeholders on the use of animals in research. Past awards to the RVC have included the 2018 Media Engagement Award (UAR Openness Awards).
Aspect 4: Enhancing practice
Most public/community engagement by RVC staff is initiated and undertaken by academic staff, with support from Professional Services. The PCE work is of high quality and reported annually through the HE-BCIS, however the KEF and KEC exercises have highlighted a level of fragmentation in the delivery of this activity against clearly defined metrics, and limited internal funding, at present.
A cross-RVC Working Group was established to prepare the KEC submission, and to undertake a review of different elements related to Knowledge Exchange. A key priority identified the need for the development of institutional KE Engagement Strategy, and PCE good practice guide. Additional resource will be sought internally to deliver this. The implementation of these actions has been delayed following changes of senior staff in 2021 and 2022. As such the RVC’s consolidation and measurement of PCE is in flux, and a more formalised review is in place following these changes.
The KEC also identified that an internal reward or prize scheme would be beneficial in promoting PCE activities to both staff and students, and time spent on PCE has been included in the academic Workload Allocation Management toolkit. RVC reports internally on all events (e.g. number of attendees, feedback received, items for improvement) and this is used to inform future events.
Aspect 5: Building on success
There are lay members on RVC Council, and representatives from the wider community participate in our Ethics and Welfare Committee (EWC), Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB) and Clinical Research Ethical Review Board (CRERB). These are (1) an independent member of EWC, co-opted from the community or charity sector, and (2) a lay Panel member – we have three lay members that rotate between the three committees on an annual basis.
The RVC External Relations team compiles a report on all all PR and media related activities, which is presented to the College Executive Commmittee (CEC) on a monthly basis. This report is discussed and actions taken forward.
Individual items of business relating to P&CE events and performance are also raised at CEC, or at the “Principal’s Advisory Group” meetings. This direct route to senior management oversight is suitable and efficient for a small institution such as the RVC but does not leave a significant operational footprint in terms of dedicated committees and reports, other than those mentioned elsewhere here.
The RVC Research Pages were relaunched in January 2022 following a strategic review. Since the launch of the new website, engagement has increased dramatically, and we will continue to monitor and support these activities. Users and visits to the RVC pages have steadily increased over the last three years (fig).
For a number of P&CE events (e.g. Biology Champions online programme) we have gathered full evaluation data from participants, for internal planning and funder reporting. Data is then used as iterative feedback to inform and improve subsequent instances of the event.
Whilst the RVC supports a large amount of activity, we are in the process of developing a strategy to support additional P&CE activities, beyond our current focus.
Note You are currently viewing the latest version of this narrative statement. View the previous version as published in previous iterations of the KEF (KEF1 and KEF2)