Institutional Context
Summary
St George’s, University of London is the only UK university which specialises in medicine, healthcare and science. We are a University of over 845 staff and 4,825 students based in Tooting, South West London, where we share a site and a partnership with St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Our researchers work to improve the health of people of all ages, from children to the elderly, in populations locally and globally, building partnerships with business, government and other organisations. We teach undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development courses and excel in developing outstanding practitioners of science, medicine and healthcare. We work with the public and community, locally and globally, to share our knowledge and make our science accessible to all.
Institutional context
St George’s, University of London is the only UK university dedicated to medicine, healthcare and science. We share our site with St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The integration of patients, healthcare workers, students and scientists creates a vibrant and dynamic environment where our research, education and knowledge exchange flourishes.
We are based in Tooting, South West London, where we are both part of a global city and a thriving local community. We take pride in our location – in our links with the local community, including its schools; in the employment opportunities we bring; and in its diversity, with a patient population who often supports our research. Partnerships are key to our approach, and we work with a variety of organisations, including government, businesses, the NHS, community groups and the public to further our research, education and knowledge exchange.
For over 250 years we have been pioneers in medicine, science and healthcare. We were the second institution in England to provide formal training courses for doctors, and we were the first university in the UK to introduce programmes like graduate-entry medicine, Clinical Pharmacology, and physician associate. St George’s alumni include pioneers in medicine John Hunter, Edward Jenner, Henry Gray and Patrick Steptoe.
We are committed to Public Engagement in all its forms, from science communication through our successful Spotlight on Science events, to working in partnership with patients in our education and to co-design our research, and in collaborating on unique projects with our local community, such as our Inside Science programme with HMP Wandsworth.
We develop students who will make a difference in the world. Our undergraduate, postgraduate and professional development courses in medicine, healthcare and science give students the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to succeed in their future. We are currently ranked first for graduate prospects by the Complete University Guide.
Our specialist research on the great global health challenges ranges from fundamental science to the most practical of treatment applications. These diverse contributions are all part of our commitment to the better prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. Despite our compact size we were ranked 8th in the UK for Research Impact in the Research Excellence Framework.
Our research is organised into three Research Institutes: Infection and Immunity; Molecular and Clinical Sciences; and Population Health. In addition, we have a number of cross-cutting research themes which span our Research Institutes: Genomics and Genetics; Healthy Ageing; Statistics; Bioinformatics; Developing Clinical and Basic Science Careers; and Public/Civic Engagement in Science.
Our partnership with St George’s University Hospital – which serves a population of 1.3 million across South West London - is crucial to our research and enables the translation of new discoveries into treatments. Together we have four specialist Clinical Academic Groups and the St George’s Translational and Clinical Research Institute in which our scientists and clinicians collaborate to develop treatments, along with a Clinical Research Facility which was awarded NIHR status in 2022.
Figure 1: Students on campus
Figure 2: Students representing a range of courses
Figure 3: Students in a research lab
Figure 4: VERT training suite
Figure 5: Group of students in Tooting
For further information, please send queries to enterprise@sgul.ac.uk
Local Growth and Regeneration
Summary of approach
Our approach is to draw on and share our knowledge and skills as a University specialising in medicine and healthcare to support local growth and regeneration in i) our socially, economically and racially diverse community in South West London and ii) internationally in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
We have local partnerships, programmes and projects ranging from working with HMP Wandsworth to outreach in local schools. We joined the BIG South London Partnership, supporting local business, innovation and growth. We work with St George’s University Hospital to provide information about, and the opportunity to participate in, clinical trials for our local population. Internationally, we work with local communities to develop public understanding and research to provide treatments for diseases affecting them.
Aspect 1: Strategy
1. Our local community:
We consider Tooting, the London Borough of Wandsworth and South West London to be our local area.
Figure 1: Students in the local area of Tooting
Wandsworth Borough
We are located in a diverse area - 32% of the residents of Wandsworth Borough are Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (compared to 19% nationally) and 41% were not born in England (compared to 20% nationally). Our research into migrant health and the inequalities in health responds to the needs of our local area.
The Wandsworth Council Health and Care Plan sets out the plans to improve healthcare in the borough. St George’s research addresses a number of aims of the plan, including addressing health inequalities, childhood obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
There is substantial evidence showing that students from disadvantaged backgrounds (defined as those in receipt of Pupil Premium funding/free schools meals) are less likely to achieve good GCSE results compared to their peers. Wandsworth Borough has 16.6% of secondary pupils eligible for free school meals, 2.5% above the national average. Through our Science Stars programme we have raised attainment in GCSE Science in a long-term partnership with a local secondary school.
We have established links with Wandsworth Council’s Economic Development Department and worked with them to launch our “Open 4 Business” initiative in February and March 2022 to highlight St George’s appetite for collaboration and partnership with industry and the local community. The initiative was an opportunity to showcase our research excellence and facilities and to promote our research and enterprise collaboration opportunities.
Partnership with BIG South
In February 2022, St George’s joined the BIG South initiative. BIG, which stands for Business, Innovation & Growth, in South London, is a programme of support which brings together the world-class knowledge, expertise and facilities of universities, local government and businesses for the benefit and economic recovery of South London based businesses and communities. St George’s has joined five London boroughs - Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames and Sutton – and a range of other stakeholders.
Partnership with St George’s University Hospital
We share a site with St George’s University Hospital, with whom we have a close partnership. This allows translation of new research discoveries into treatments, and opportunities for local patients to participate in and benefit from clinical trials.
We worked with St George’s University Hospital – which serves a population of 1.3 million across South West London - to develop their 2019-24 research strategy, which included input from patients.
Other local healthcare partnerships
We are a leading member of the South London NIHR Applied Research Centre (ARC), where we work in partnership with other South London Universities, NHS Trusts and academic networks. The ARC aims to conduct high-quality research to help NHS and care services offer excellent care based on evidence across South London. This research responds to the needs of local patients, and local health and care systems, identified in a detailed needs assessment which recognised substantial local health inequalities.
The ARC’s core areas of research are: alcohol, children and young people, maternity and perinatal mental health, palliative and end of life care, patient and public involvement research, public health and multimorbidity, and social care.
We have senior University staff serving as Non-Executive Directors on the boards of our local acute and mental health NHS Trusts.
We are part of the Health Innovation Network (HIN), the Academic Health Science Network for South London, which connects NHS and academic organisations, local authorities, the third sector and industry to increase the spread and adoption of innovation across large populations.
2. International: Low- and Middle-income Countries
Figure 2: Photos from research study in Uganda
A major part of our research is global, and we have numerous research collaborations around the world, in particular in Low- and Middle- Income (LMIC) countries.
Research shows the effect of infectious diseases on economic growth in LMICs. One recent study showed that a 1% increase in the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Africa and West Africa negatively impacted growth in per capita income by 0.64% and 0.47%, respectively, between 2000 and 2015.
Our goal is to develop, evaluate and enable the wide use of novel drug therapies and other interventions for infectious diseases affecting LMICs. St George’s academics chair and are members of various World Health Organisation (WHO) Committees, and our research has changed WHO guidance.
We have particular strengths in key diseases affecting LMICs, including tuberculosis (TB) ,antimicrobial resistance, cryptococcal meningitis (an opportunistic infection in people with HIV), malaria and Buruli ulcer (an ulcerative skin condition prevalent in West Africa). We are actively involved in projects targeting other important infections affecting LMICs, including HIV, sexually-transmitted infections, dengue, Ebola, chikungunya, drug-resistant bacterial infections, paediatric bacterial infections and parasitic worm infections.
St George’s researchers also work with local populations in LMICs to ensure the equitable access of vaccines. We work with local research institutes, community advisory boards, youth teams and women’s groups to provide training to health teams and promote vaccine awareness.
Aspect 2: Activity
1. Our local community
Science Stars: St George’s launched the Science Stars programme in 2018, to raise attainment at Ernest Bevin College in Tooting where 40% of the pupils had been eligible for free school meals. Science Stars is a sustained tutoring intervention designed by a St George’s alumni and former science teacher, who is now a university lecturer in education. The programme, which is delivered by trained St George’s undergraduate students, supports Year 11 pupils to improve educational outcomes in GCSE Science examinations. Since the pilot in 2018, 100 pupils from two partner schools have participated in the programme.
Primary Practice: We have developed Primary Practice, a 12-month programme targeted at Year 6 pupils from backgrounds under-represented in higher education in Wandsworth Borough. The programme, which launched last academic year, aims to raise aspirations by helping pupils develop the skills required for a successful transition from primary to secondary school, while also building their knowledge of medicine and healthcare.
BabyBreathe study: St George’s is leading a clinical research study in South London to keep women smokefree post partum. BabyBreathe is delivered in the community to women wanting to remain smokefree postpartum by health visitors during routine appointments locally in Merton, Sutton, Wandsworth, Epsom, Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham.
BabyBathe study: St George’s is leading a study investigating whether reducing the frequency with which babies are bathed in the first months of life might prevent them from developing eczema. In the first stage of the study, 20 pregnant women and their families, who will be giving birth at St George’s Hospital, have been interviewed to identify what bathing practices families might be willing to change and any potential barriers to changing baby skincare practices. We will then develop an intervention and will be recruiting 125 pregnant women and their families from the St George’s Hospital antenatal department, to establish whether our new way of advising families to reduce potentially harmful baby skincare practices is feasible.
ESCAPE-PAIN study: ESCAPE-PAIN is a hip and knee pain rehabilitation programme created by St George’s and Kingston University. The programme, which integrates educational self-management and coping strategies with an exercise regimen individualised for each participant, was piloted in South London.
Our local clinical research: We have strengthened our research collaboration with St George’s University Hospital through setting up formal structures in which academics and clinicians can collaborate to develop and carry out clinical trials and serve our local patients. This includes four Clinical Academic Groups in specialist areas: Cardiovascular, Neurology, Infection & Immunity and Genetics & Genomics – each of which have a lay member on their steering committee. In addition, we have gained NIHR accreditation for the Clinical Research Facility which we share with St George’s University Hospital, which is helping to strengthen the clinical trial opportunities for local patients.
Student Business Concept Award: In 2019, we designed and launched this student enterprise programme. 11 students had five training sessions to learn about entrepreneurship skills, with the aim of nurturing our entrepreneurial culture and connecting our entrepreneurs with the University of London GradVenture entrepreneurship competition and the vibrant London ecosystem.
2. International: Low- and Middle-income Countries
Figure 3: Photos from the EFFECT Trial
EFFECT Trial: Researchers from St George’s are leading a clinical trial- “EFFECT” (Efficacy of Flucytosine and Fluconazole as Early Cryptococcal Treatment) - which runs in South Africa, Tanzania and Vietnam with the aim of improving outcomes for individuals with advanced HIV (AIDS) and cryptococcal infection.
Cryptococcal meningitis (CM), a HIV-associated fungal infection, is a key driver of AIDS-related mortality resulting in approximately 150,000 deaths per year globally. Over 75% of deaths occur in Africa, accounting for 19% of all AIDS-related mortality. Cryptococcal disease exists on a spectrum and can be identified when the fungus is in the blood, early in disease progression and even prior to symptoms, and also later in the cerebral spinal fluid via lumbar puncture when the fungus has reached the brain causing meningitis. The presence of cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) in the blood has been shown to be highly predictive of the later development of CM (fungus in the brain) and death.
The clinical trial aims to determine whether a combined treatment of flucytosine and fluconazole is more effective than treatment with fluconazole alone (current gold standard) for treatment of asymptomatic blood CrAg positive individuals with advanced HIV disease (AIDS).
RIFASHORT Trial: This clinical trial was carried out in five countries with a high burden of tuberculosis: Botswana, Uganda, Guinea, Nepal and Pakistan. In this trial, we assessed whether giving an increased dose of rifampicin to patients with tuberculosis is safe and, when given for 4 months only, will also result in greater and faster killing of the tubercle bacillus in the lungs and result in relapse rates similar to those found in the WHO recommended standard 6 months regimen. The possibility of increased side effects from the higher doses of rifampicin and of relapse for all patients was monitored closely.
The DREAMM project: This research project is heavily influenced by and impacts communities in Malawi, Tanzania and Cameroon. The project is a unique implementation science project that aims to reduce mortality from HIV-related meningoencephalitis which contributes up to a third of HIV-related deaths annually in Africa. Driven by local leadership and with patient advocates and members of civil society involved in project oversight, DREAMM focusses on optimal delivery of care by frontline healthcare workers through: 1) Health system strengthening, 2) The delivery of a co-designed education program; 3) The implementation of a diagnostic and treatment algorithm; and 4) The formation of communities of practice to develop local skills in infectious diseases/laboratory capacity building.
Optimising antibiotic prescribing in children: The inappropriate dosing and overuse use of antibiotics, particularly those with broad spectrum, is a critical driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which has been identified as a huge and escalating threat to global health and prosperity. In response to this threat, St George’s researchers have undertaken a major body of work to optimise antibiotic use in children, taking an important global role in efforts to reduce the health and economic impacts of AMR.
Aspect 3: Results
1. Our local community
Figure 4: Photos from Science Stars
Science Stars: The evaluation of Science Stars’ pilot year in 2018-19 was very promising. Statistically significant effects on academic attainment were observed, with on average Science Stars participants achieving over a grade higher in their Science GCSEs than a control group of pupils from the same school with a similar record of achievement. This suggests the potential of the programme to deliver meaningful improvement for young people across their science examinations. As a result of these promising findings, we have committed to continued investment in the Science Stars programme until at least 2024-25. For 2020-21, we ran Science Stars online to ensure that it can continue during the pandemic, but the programme has now returned to face to face teaching. The full evaluation reports for each year have been published on our website.
ESCAPE-PAIN: After a local pilot, the programme has been rolled out nationally and has minimised the amount of healthcare needed by patients locally and nationally, with 20,000 people with osteoarthritis treated. It has saved the NHS an estimated £30 million, was featured on a BBC programme, and has been awarded the Clinical Services 2020 Health Services Journal Musculoskeletal Care Initiative of the Year.
Local clinical research: In partnership with St George’s University Hospital, over 25,000 patients have taken part in our clinical trials over the three years 2019 to 2022 over a range of different clinical specialities, including Infection, Cardiology, Accident & Emergency and Reproductive Health.
Local Covid research: During the pandemic, we prioritised Covid research and were amongst the top in England for the number of urgent public health Covid clinical trials, which enabled 8,000 local patients to take part in St George’s Covid clinical trials. One example is the Vaccine Task Force funded Preg-Cov trial led by St George’s and taking place at St George’s University Hospital and other national sites, which aims to identify the optimal time to administer Covid vaccines in pregnancy to best protect pregnant women against Covid.
2. International: Low- and Middle-income Countries
RIFASHORT Trial: The trial is now completed and the results showed that, although the higher dose was quite safe, the trial dose did not meet the margin of inferiority set.
DREAMM project: The project helps local communities through:1) Sustainable and effective hospital pathways for the management of HIV-related meningoencephalitis for frontline Healthcare Workers serving their community; 2) Transfer of key clinical and laboratory skills; and, based on initial preliminary results, 3) Significant reductions in mortality for participants (median age 38) who play pivotal economic and societal roles in their communities.
Optimising antibiotic prescribing in children: The work of St George’s researchers has had a major national and global impact in terms of specific antibiotic dosing and duration recommendations and practice. Using the metrics developed by St George’s, the World Health Organisation have set a target that 60% of all antibiotic prescribing globally should be narrow spectrum by 2023.
Public & Community Engagement
Summary of approach
Our approach is a partnership where the University shares its knowledge and expertise with the public and community and we learn from our communities about their priorities and perspectives. We run a range of events within and beyond the University and provide opportunities for dialogue on specific questions or subjects. Those events and opportunities for interaction take place locally, nationally and globally reflecting the wide reach of our research. We work with schools and community groups to support learning and share perspectives. We collaborate with our local prison to provide sessions, centred on the participants’ interests. We build capacity amongst our own community by encouraging and training our staff and students to participate in public engagement in their own work.
Aspect 1: Strategy
St George’s is committed to improving human health and to making our research, scholarship and practice come to life in the world, engaging diverse groups of people. We are a specialist healthcare university, with strong local links and a global research programme in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Our public and civic engagement strategy reflects the unique context of St George’s and is based on dialogue and partnership to foster engagement with a wide range of people, groups and organisations in the local and international communities where we work. The strategy supports wider university objectives, in particular research communication (public engagement is one of our research cross-cutting themes) and our widening participation activities.
Our Public and Civic Engagement Strategy 2020-2024 and implementation plan can be seen on our public engagement website. The strategy was developed following a period of engagement and consultation, which included surveys, focus groups and discussion with internal/external stakeholders to identify and address their needs.
Public and civic engagement is organised into four intersecting themes:
Figure : Public engagement themes
We have four strategic aims:
1. Build and embed a culture of public and civic engagement based on our four themes at St George’s;
Nurture existing partnerships and develop new relationships to facilitate novel public and civic engagement activities;
Provide support and a structured programme of development for any member of the University community who wishes to develop their interest and skills in public and civic engagement; and
Achieve external recognition, funding and a national reputation for original, effective, responsive and inclusive public and civic engagement work in bioscience, health and medicine.
Figure 2: St George’s approach to public engagement
We appointed a Lead for Public and Civic Engagement in 2020, Dr Carol Shiels, reporting to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) who has overall responsibility for public engagement.
We have a Public Engagement Advisory Board to oversee and embed our public engagement strategy and coordinate public engagement activities across St George’s. This includes members of the local community, the Dean for EDI, academic and professional services directors, undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and an independent Council member. Accountability is via regular reports and discussion at our Executive Board and Senate.
EDI is integral to our public engagement approach and is formally represented on our Public Engagement Advisory Board by the Dean for EDI. Through our public engagement outreach work, we aim to increase diversity in STEM careers.
We maintain a dialogue with our existing partners, for example with HMP Wandsworth, global public engagement projects and our school contacts, to ensure that we maximise our impact, meet our strategic aims and allow space for further innovation. We also identify new relationships that offer scope to create original, effective, responsive and inclusive public and civic engagement activities.
The central Public Engagement team at St George’s supports all areas of public engagement, from science communication and public talks, through to advising on public involvement in funding applications. This consists of the Public Engagement Lead (0.4FTE) and Public Engagement Officer. Value for money is sought through this focussed central public engagement team and the wider St George’s public engagement community who support public engagement alongside their day-to-day roles.
Figure 3: St George’s public engagement stakeholders
Aspect 2: Support
We encourage staff and students to participate in public engagement. This is facilitated though the University Public Engagement Network, which is open to all staff and students interested in public and civic engagement, providing a channel through which staff and students can be informed of events, training and funding opportunities.
Our Public Engagement Champions Programme provided a structured development programme for staff in public engagement.
Public Engagement Seed Funding is available to enable staff and students to develop and deliver their own public engagement activity or event. Applicants can apply for funding of up to £1,000, with any project falling within the NCCPE scope of Public Engagement being considered. Projects are reviewed by members of the Public Engagement Advisory Board and successful applicants are required to write a report for internal and external dissemination and to add to the bank of public engagement case studies.
We offer a series of Public Engagement Workshops each year, along with one-to-one support and advice to individual and groups covering a wide range of topics. In 2022, we developed a new structured online ‘Guide to Public Engagement’ training module, featuring training videos, information, opportunities and case studies from across the University. We also provide public engagement lectures and projects in the undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum, including a 6-month public engagement research project on the Biomedical Science BSc.
A new Public Engagement space has been created close to the University main entrance, which can be booked by staff for public engagement events. This includes a screen to enable videos, presentations and images to be displayed.
We follow the NCCPE principles to guide staff and students to embed EDI into their work: A starting guide to EDI for public engagement professionals.
Public engagement is recognised in our academic promotion criteria. Our personal development review process has been revised to include a separate public engagement section for staff to complete to ensure that public engagement is recognised as part of their workload.
Our website contains support and online resources for the public, including public engagement stories and highlights from our Spotlight on Science events.
Each partnership has a member of staff responsible for it, and the Public Engagement Lead and Officer provide support to staff in facilitating partnerships and events.
Funding for public engagement practical support is provided by the University, along with some funding from the Wellcome Trust. Research England funding was used for the new public engagement space. Value for money is ensured through the active participation of a wide variety of university staff supporting public engagement.
Figure 4: St George’s public engagement support
Evidence of the uptake and effectiveness of the key support mechanisms that are in place is included in Aspect 5.
Aspect 3: Activity
Our range of public engagement activities includes:
Spotlight on Science has offered free, interactive public talks designed to engage the public with our approach to research since 2013, furthering our Science Communication and Knowledge Exchange/Patient and Public involvement themes. The approach involves dialogue and partnership in which we value public perspectives on, and contributions to, our research from members of our local community. The programme moved online at the start of the pandemic, providing support and information on Coronavirus and the search for a vaccine to a wider public audience, with Spotlight on Science videos on our YouTube channel reaching a large audience and one episode ‘Coronavirus: What we know so far’ having over 2,600 views. Surveys at the last two events showed averages of ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ for all categories, with the highest averages for interesting content, engaged speakers and speakers answered questions.
Figure 5: Photo from the Spotlight on Science event
Inside Science is an ongoing science engagement programme that has been running since 2014 in collaboration with HMP Wandsworth, located 2 miles from St George’s, where men from a wide range of backgrounds participate. Education and confidence building are recognised as essential elements of rehabilitation and male prisoners are a neglected and hard-to-reach group. Furthering our Community Partnership & Outreach/Development & Scholarship themes, Inside Science offers 1.5-hour sessions every 6 weeks in which current topics in science are introduced and discussed, mostly chosen by the men. Surveys over five sessions in 2019/20 showed a 95% positive response to “Did you enjoy this topic” (4% neutral; 1% negative) and a 97% positive response to “Did you learn anything new” (3% neutral).
“Ask a COVID vaccine question” campaign, launched in December 2021, furthers our Science Communication/Patient and Public involvement themes and targeted the public based on our expert knowledge at a time when Covid vaccines had just been developed and there was much public uncertainty. A short video was produced, featuring six St George’s staff describing different aspects of the vaccine. High levels of engagement with the video were recorded (>2,000 views), with >100 questions from staff, students and members of the general public. The long-term impact was that major themes were identified, allowing an FAQ to be posted on our website.
Pint of Science public science talks took place at a Tooting venue in May 2022. These events are an opportunity for students and researchers to develop their science communication skills and to hold talks in a venue that encourages conversations and debate with a wider local audience. The results from audience feedback were strongly positive:
Figure 6: Pint of Science audience feedback
Science Museum Lates events were attended by our research teams to engage with the public for the first time in 2022, as part of our science communication theme, providing additional opportunities for researchers to talk to the public about their research, including professors, post-doctoral researchers, students and professional services staff. The Science Museum also invited two of our researchers to take part in a chaired panel discussion on the future of cancer research as part of an event.
Museum of Human Diseases offers STEM Outreach workshops to give young people an insight into STEM careers. This is part of our community outreach/development & scholarship and includes local schools. A recent evaluation showed 36 participants in two events all recorded a positive experience, including that the activities were clearly explained and useful for future learning. As a result of the workshops offered in 2022, we have now formed partnerships with two local secondary schools to continue working with their Year 12 students in subsequent years.
Improving vaccine awareness in Uganda, in a research project to develop a maternal vaccination platform to ensure the equitable access of vaccines to pregnant women. As part of our community outreach, targeting women living in LMICs, we work in collaboration with local research institutes, our community advisory board, youth teams and women’s groups. We provide training in how to talk about vaccines to the village health teams and work with key stakeholders in Uganda to develop nationally-adopted videos and posters to inform about signs of neonatal sepsis. Our work with local communities is making a positive difference, with tetanus vaccine uptake rates in pregnancy above 90% (higher than the rest of Kampala).
Figure 7: Photos from stakeholder meetings in Uganda
EDI is a vital part of our engagement activity and is reviewed after activities by the Public Engagement Advisory Board. We have sought to make our activities more accessible, for example moving our recent Spotlight on Science talks to Wandsworth Town Library. Our Public Engagement Seed Funding has also been used for projects which address EDI.
We ensure value for money in activities by having a wide variety of staff and students involved in public engagement. This is especially important as a smaller, specialist university and allows us to run a wide range of activities.
Aspect 4: Enhancing practice
Our Public Engagement Advisory Board is responsible for university-wide monitoring and evaluation of public engagement activities. We collect and review evaluation data for individual programmes as shown in Aspect 3.
We have four public engagement KPIs for 2017 to 2022 at university level which are reviewed twice a year by the Operational Plan Monitoring Group (along with all university wide KPIs). One KPI is to create the public engagement strategy (achieved 2020), and the other three are strategic aims in the 2020-24 strategy:
Nurture existing and create new partnerships.
Achieve external recognition, funding and a national reputation.
Provide support and a structured programme of development for the University community.
The central public engagement team provides advice on evaluations for staff involved in public engagement activity. We also offer public engagement mentoring to share good practice of public engagement which includes evaluations.
We also share evidence of good practice through our online public engagement module described in Aspect 2, including case studies from across the University.
We are investing in training with an external trainer to give a series of sessions on evaluation for staff involved in public engagement, which will run in 2023.
Aspect 5: Building on success
We have made good progress against the three KPIs listed in Aspect 4 (which are also strategic aims from Aspect 1):
We have maintained all existing partnerships and have developed a new partnership with Wandsworth Town Library. The pandemic has impacted exploring new partnerships for much of the last three years.
We have achieved external recognition from the London Higher Civic Network, who used six of our case studies in their Civic mapping project and from the Civic University Network who identified St George’s as an example of how universities are reimagining and reinvigorating the university / NHS relationship in a case study on good practice. The Museum has recently been awarded funding from the Association of Independent Museums for a community engagement project creating a new museum venue for those living locally.
We have developed an annual training programme and other training as detailed in Aspect 2. This will be enhanced in 2023 through using an external facilitator.
We have carried out a consultation of staff and postgraduate students to inform and help us design practical support based on their requirements. The Public Engagement Lead also consulted professional services staff to better understand the engagement activities of most interest and how we can tailor our practical support accordingly. Our online training described in Aspect 2 was created in 2022 to meet the demands of flexible learning for both staff and students.
We collect evidence of the uptake of our support mechanisms. In 2021/22:
57 staff attended public engagement workshops
We provided seed funding for four projects
80 staff/students are members of our Public Engagement network and 32 are in our STEM Outreach network
The public engagement team provided 45 one-to-one appointments
87 students attended public engagement lectures or undertook public engagement projects.
We have used our evaluation of activities to make improvements. Examples include piloting and evaluating Public Engagement space events to measure footfall and levels of engagement, to better understand how to use the space effectively and maximise engagement with the target audience; and evaluating our inaugural Pint of Science 2022 programme of events to inform future programmes. We build awareness of these evaluation findings though a staff newsletter and via the Public Engagement/STEM Outreach networks.
The Public Engagement Advisory Board has representatives from throughout the University and two public members from the local community to provide feedback and oversight/steering of our work. This feedback, along with our evaluation of the 2020-24 strategy, is currently being used to develop our new 2030 Public and Community Engagement strategy.
An annual public engagement report is provided to Executive Board and Senate, and this provides a review of progress against our strategy. Externally, we have provided information to London Higher and the Civic University Network as described above.
Figure 8: Public engagement governance and accountability mechanisms
We seek to continually learn from other organisations through our membership of the London Higher Civic Network and the Civic University Network. We also retain strong links with other universities, for example our online training programme was created with the support and advice of colleagues from the University of Bath.
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