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Institutional Context
Summary
The University of Oxford is the world’s oldest English-speaking university, has been at the forefront of research, scholarship and innovation for over 850 years, and is today a vibrant hub of internationally-leading work spanning all aspects of science, medicine, the social sciences and humanities. Our mission is the advancement of learning by teaching and research, and its dissemination by every means; and our goal is to make a difference at all scales, from the local to the global, influencing technology, policy and culture for the benefit of society. We aim to excel in every knowledge exchange and innovation mechanism to deliver these goals, including activities measured by the KEF metrics and beyond.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/knowledge-exchange-framework-kef
Institutional context
The University of Oxford builds its KE activities on a firm foundation of world-leading research and education. This occurs across our four Divisions – Medical Sciences, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences (MPLS), Social Sciences and Humanities – as well as in Continuing Education, and our internationally significant Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM). The extraordinary breadth and depth of our disciplinary expertise enables us to lead the international research and innovation agenda across these fields. We expect our external engagement to make a difference to the economy and society, including globally, and enrich our ongoing research and education through a true exchange of knowledge, skills and ideas. In 2019/20, the University’s total research income of £798m included £103m from industry, in both cases the highest of any UK institution.
The University’s heritage and impact are an asset for the UK and the world, and our recent response to the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the value of our KE mechanisms in allowing the immediate contribution of expertise and assets to the national and international effort. This permanent KE infrastructure has enabled speedy collaboration with industry on the licensing and development of a vaccine, collaboration to create OxVent, city-wide community engagement activities initiated by OxHub and record levels of clinical trial recruitment. Our longstanding relationship with the NHS supports translational work and accelerates patient benefit.
As this multi-faceted response to COVID-19 demonstrates, the University’s scale and level of activity precludes a focus on any one KE perspective over another, requiring instead all available mechanisms.
Although our commercial, policy and social impact is longstanding, the last 35 years have seen significant intentional investment in mechanisms for KE. Oxford University Innovation (OUI) was one of the country’s first technology transfer offices (established 1987) while the Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) started in 2018. In 2019 the BioEscalator became the first business incubator on our medical campus. In 2015 Oxford Sciences Innovation plc (OSI) was founded – a £600m investment fund dedicated to commercialising our scientific research and representing the largest such fund in the world dedicated to a single institution. In 2017 the Oxford Foundry opened for student entrepreneurs. 2019 saw our first social enterprise spin-out, sOPHIa, and the creation of Oxford’s newest college (Reuben College) which identifies core principles of collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Investment across the University has improved embedded KE support for academic activity in a way that reflects the opportunities presented by different disciplines. This includes Humanities KE fellowships, the development of Industrial Relationship teams in Medical Sciences and MPLS and a Public Engagement with Research (PER) network acknowledged as leading. We develop, promote and sustain wider, cross-disciplinary networks, such as the University’s ONE Network, TORCH and the Oxford Martin School, which share a commitment to mobilising interdisciplinary research expertise for the benefit of wider communities, locally and globally.
Oxfordshire is a leading international centre of research and technological innovation, and the University is both anchor and leader in a vibrant, innovative regional economy to which it makes an enormous contribution, attracting significant investment and expertise to the region and supporting local innovation and entrepreneurial networks, including through Enterprising Oxford.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/knowledge-exchange-framework-kef
For further information, please send queries to phil.clare@admin.ox.ac.uk
Local Growth and Regeneration
Summary of approach
Oxford University contributes to Local Growth and Regeneration (LGR) by working collaboratively with regional stakeholders. Together we have identified opportunities for economic and social gain that the University’s research and knowledge exchange communities can help to deliver, co-developing strategies, plans and projects that make a tangible difference.
There is significant support provided to enable researchers and students to contribute directly to LGR through innovation, entrepreneurial activities and business collaborations, built upon world-leading research. This includes new innovation buildings, the creation of spin-out and start-up companies and provision of business education programmes. We catalyse innovation and investment within the local ecosystem, delivering economic and societal benefits and supporting Oxfordshire and the UK to become a beacon for further investment.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/knowledge-exchange-framework-kef
Aspect 1: Strategy
Oxford’s vision is to be a key player in a globally significant innovation ecosystem in Oxfordshire, building on the University’s world-class research base, staff and student entrepreneurial and innovation skills, outstanding networks and strong convening power to enable the dynamic exchange of knowledge for social, cultural and economic benefit (Knowledge Exchange Strategy). This underpins the University’s Strategic Plan 2018-2023, which seeks through our activities to “benefit society on a local, regional, national and global scale.”
The aims in the University’s Strategic Plan that directly relate to local growth and regeneration (LGR) include:
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Working with partners to create a world-class regional innovation ecosystem
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Building a strong and constructive relationship with our local and regional community
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Engaging with businesses, the public and policy makers to encourage the widest possible use of our research findings and expertise
The primary settings for the University’s local growth and regeneration activities are the City of Oxford and the county of Oxfordshire, although this encompasses other geographic areas such as the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.
Furthermore, Oxford’s global influence results in significant, localised benefits around the world. For example, the Oxford Smart Handpumps project (Fig. 1) used crowdfunding to set-up a graduate-led company that has improved access to clean water for over 70,000 people in two countries in rural Africa.
The presence of Oxford University has shaped the local economy and culture for centuries. Sixty years ago, our researchers and entrepreneurs began to play a key role in the creation of a flourishing Oxfordshire innovation ecosystem - in the last 3 decades with the increasing institutional support of the University. Our deliberate strategy now is to further enhance and nourish the conditions for the creation and growth of knowledge-intensive businesses, making knowledge and facilities accessible to local and regional businesses and organisations.
For example, working closely with our regional partners, we have analysed the characteristics of Oxfordshire’s economy and identified the needs of stakeholders within the local area. Collectively we have then developed strategies and implementation plans to deliver inclusive growth.
Our local partners include the local authorities, OxLEP, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Harwell and Culham sciences campuses, all of whose leaders signed the University’s Oxfordshire Green Paper (Fig. 2) in 2015 . Most recently, this strategic partnering approach has expanded to other universities across the Oxford-Cambridge Arc through the Arc Universities Group.
The needs of the local economy, and the characteristics of the ‘Oxford Innovation Engine’, have been articulated in a series of documents published by OxLEP, including most recently Oxfordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy (LIS) (Fig. 3) which states our collective ambition to become a top three global innovation ecosystem and to enhance Oxfordshire’s role as an engine for UK innovation and economic growth.
We actively support the surrounding high-tech clusters of businesses in space, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, quantum computing, energy, creative industries and heritage, including those outlined in the 2017 Oxfordshire Science and Innovation Audit (Fig. 4).
We also work closely with a range of voluntary and commercial organisations such as Oxford Hub and Oxfordshire Social Enterprise Partnership (OSEP) to ensure that social as well as economic gains are at the heart of our work.
This approach, outlined in our KE strategy, was commended by HEFCE for its “focus on sustainable local growth, supporting the Oxfordshire high-tech cluster, and working closely with public and private sector partners and local communities.”
https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/knowledge-exchange-framework-kef
Aspect 2: Activity
Our approach is built on direct engagement by University staff members, including those at senior level, in local networks and regional partnerships. This facilitates a University-wide understanding of the growth needs of the Oxfordshire region, and is accompanied by senior joint posts within OxLEP and the Satellite Application Catapult, setup in 2014. This enables the University to identify specific projects in which it can add significant value and contribute to the innovation ecosystem.
Oxford’s researchers and KE staff have been instrumental in co-developing the Oxfordshire LIS and supporting a suite of influential policy papers. These include the Basic Economic Review, the Future State of the Oxfordshire Economy, the Oxfordshire Science and Innovation Audit and the following OxLEP strategies: Energy, Innovation, Creative Cultural, Heritage and Tourism, and Skills. In addition, we have established new partnerships for collaboration including Smart Oxford, Living Oxford and OSEP. Together these inform the region’s understanding of its economy and shape the development of collective funding programmes such as local growth funds and European regional development funds as well as generating venture and inward investment opportunities.
The University provides a programme of impact and knowledge exchange support for its researchers and students, enhancing their capacity and capability to have a local impact, including training, guidance and support for:
engaging with the policymaking community locally, nationally and internationally
student entrepreneurship via the Oxford Foundry and Oxford University Innovation Ltd (OUI)’s Start-up Incubator
social enterprise by supporting the Oxford Hub, OSEP, and a dedicated team for spin-outs at OUI.
This support, alongside that led by partners within the region, is brought together in Enterprising Oxford, which provides a source of practical information, resources, and events for anyone in the region to use and benefit from (Fig. 5).
Enterprising Oxford #StartedinOxford Demo Night, November 2017
We support organisations to innovate in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem and beyond, through access to expertise, facilities and research partnerships as outlined in the University’s Innovation and Partnership website.
We also collaborate with individual partner organisations on areas of mutual interest and to provide and facilitate access to:
Skills development such as mentorships, professional development and executive education (Saïd Business School and the Department of Continuing Education); internships, work placement opportunities and entrepreneurship training for students (Careers Service, Doctoral Training Centres).
Equipment, such as the “Agile Lab”, a shared working facility, comprising an equipped laboratory with bookable bench space and equipment, and adjoining office space (Fig. 6).
Research collaborations such as that between Blenheim Palace and the University in a range of fields including heritage, forestry, autonomous vehicles, and the environment, sustainability, energy and the local agenda.
Research and Innovation Centres focus on a topic of interest to a group of businesses bringing together expertise from research, public and private sector to tackle identified sector-wide problems. Examples include:
The Centre for Applied Superconductivity (CfAS), an initiative driven by regional and University expertise in superconductivity (Fig. 7). Funded by Local Growth Funding it provides experimental and testing facilities through bringing together local industrial partners, research centres and the University. Based in the laboratory where fundamental superconductivity research has been conducted for over 60 years, the centre delivers research identified by industry partners as crucial to their future product development.
Other University-led initiatives such as the Centre for Plant Sciences Innovation, two of the four UK Large-scale Demonstrators in energy storage and the recently funded Energy Systems Accelerator pilot phase (TESA). TESA will bring together academic research, large and small businesses and innovative start-ups, in a building at Osney Mead, a planned new Innovation District at the heart of Oxford.
Our Innovation Districts co-locate organisations and activities close to the research base, increasing the breadth and depth of collaboration and innovation:
We have increased space for co-location and co-working with businesses, providing incubation spaces for newly incorporated and growing companies adjacent to the University’s networks and research activities. This was aided in 2019 by the formation of a £4bn partnership with Legal & General to build staff and student housing together with science and innovation districts in and around Oxford, including Begbroke Science Park, and on Osney Mead, a central brownfield site.
A third district, Oxford East, is increasing innovation activity around the University’s medical campus. This began with the BioEscalator (Fig. 8), which nurtures and incubates start-up biomedical companies adjacent to the University’s world-class medical research. The BioEscalator was fully occupied within months of opening in 2019, prompting rapid development of a plan for a second facility. The BioEscalator catalysed overseas inward investment of £115m by Novo Nordisk in 2018 to establish a diabetes R&D centre, located in the same building.
Our commitment to innovation districts is not solely about scientific endeavour. Our aim to support cultural growth and regeneration within the fabric of the City is evidenced in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre, planned to open in 2024/25, through an initial benefaction of £150m. This will form a key part of the cultural district of the city and will include an acoustic ‘Black Box’ 100-seat lab for experimental performance. This will anchor the growth of cultural corridors and complement the region’s strong tourism and hospitality sector.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/knowledge-exchange-framework-kef
Aspect 3: Results
The strong regional partnerships and projects we have developed have delivered clear outcomes to the benefit of our regional partners, local citizens and the University.
Each activity communicates and engages with its stakeholders, and we monitor and evaluate programmes through University Research and Innovation committee and the OxLEP Innovation. OxLEP has published a LIS investment prospectus, with over 40 investable proposals. We are a member of the OxLEP economic recovery planning group, are contributing to the local Recovery Plan and are delivering 10% of the £8m Oxfordshire “Getting Building Fund”.
Support for our researchers and students has led to accelerating company foundation and growth centred on the University and generating local impact.
The Oxford Foundry pivoted rapidly to respond to Covid-19, supporting over 100 student-led submissions to find and scale innovative solutions to challenges that have arisen from the pandemic. Sixteen private and public sector partners were involved including Santander and Verizon and four new ventures founded. Three ventures received funding from Innovate UK’s Covid-19 fast track – Ufonia (£48k) – which also raised a £200k+ seed round, Crowdless (£50k) and Archangel imaging (£60k)
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OUI has now spun-out its 200th company, creating a community of spin-outs that continues to grow. £3.4bn has been invested into Oxford companies in the last decade, £856m of which was in 2019/2020, setting a new and remarkable benchmark. These spin-outs have created thousands of local, national and international jobs.
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Oxford Nanopore, recently valued at around £1.6bn, has developed 90-minute Covid-19 tests that have been used in the NHS and care homes from the summer of 2020. Nanopore’s CEO said: “Ever since we founded Oxford Nanopore, our mission has been to create disruptive, high performance technology that has a profound, positive impact on society."
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In 2019 Waymo, a Google company, set up its first European engineering hub in Oxford through acquiring Latent Logic, a University spinout that specialises in driverless cars, marking a significant and long-term inward investment into the region.
Our support of organisations in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem is also illustrated by the outputs of activities coming on stream, including:
“Agile Lab” and the BioEscalator has made a significant contribution to the HEBCI data for “Facilities and equipment related services” from SMEs, which has increased by 118% from £2.2m in 2017/18, to £4.7m in 2018/19. £1.7m of this increase is attributable to these two initiatives.
The BioEscalator which has been home to 17 companies in its first 2 years of operation, with three companies undergoing successful financing rounds attracting £72.4m in investment
Our research expertise and the access to talent arising from the University is recognised the world over, and reinforces the region’s reputation as an innovation ecosystem. That combined with the attractiveness of the region through its cultural offering, including the University’s gardens, museums and libraries, means Oxfordshire’s inward investment had risen to £538m in 2019 and is now 3rd in the fDi’s regions of the future ranking for UK LEPs based on inward investment.
We are delivering our ambition to be the heart of a global knowledge and innovation ecosystem, using our world-class research base, outstanding networks and strong convening power in the dynamic exchange of knowledge for social, cultural and economic benefit.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/knowledge-exchange-framework-kef
For further information, please send queries to stuart.wilkinson@admin.ox.ac.uk
Public & Community Engagement
Summary of approach
The University of Oxford’s mission is to facilitate excellence in research, teaching, engagement and innovation to realise beneficial outcomes for society at a local, regional, national and global scale. The University has an outstanding reputation for its research and teaching and our aim is also to become a leader in engagement. At the heart of our approach is partnership working between the University’s Academic Divisions, Research Services, Gardens, Libraries and Museums and external organisations to support staff and students to value, lead and participate in public and community engagement. Our key ways of working include provision of engagement opportunities, funding, reward and recognition, training and fostering networks and partnerships. As a result, there is a flourishing ongoing programme of high-quality and impactful public and community engagement.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/knowledge-exchange-framework-kef
Aspect 1: Strategy
Developing your strategyThe University’s vision is to embed public and community engagement into research, teaching and knowledge exchange (KE) culture and practice, resulting in mutual benefits for the institution, its staff, communities and wider society.
Engagement is one of the key pillars of the University’s Strategy and the focus of the University’s Public Engagement with Research Strategic Plan (Fig. 1) and KE Strategy.
Oxford is a large, complex and devolved institution and University strategies provide high levels of direction and are underpinned by engagement strategies at the Divisional and Departmental level. For example, the implementation of TORCH’s (The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities) Strategy has enabled over 400 researchers to engage.
The institution is home to some of the oldest University collections in the world, amassed for research and public engagement. Our goal is to build on the many years of engagement and enhance the breadth, depth and quality of current and future engagement in the following four areas:
Public Engagement with Research (PER)
Community and Cultural Engagement
Public Engagement (PE)
Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Our key ways of working are to:
Facilitate opportunities for meaningful1 engagement.
Equip staff and students with the skills and resources to deliver their engagement work.
Build and foster relationships with communities and partners (e.g. Fig. 2).
Demonstrate engagement leadership and recognise and reward excellence in engagement.
Evaluate our work, with a focus on continuous improvement.
The University engagement strategies have been developed through widespread consultation and with endorsement from the University Council and the leadership team, including the VC and Pro-VCs; and there has been an Academic Champion for PER since 2015. The significant investment in engagement at Oxford includes specialist staff; capital build (e.g. Schwarzman Centre; Reuben College); and funding for engagement culture change, programmes and activities. This is resourced via internal and external funding sources, including UK, European and international research funders, arts and cultural funders and philanthropic donations.
Given the diversity and reach of the University’s research, teaching and engagement, the specific public/community groups are decided at the departmental or project level, depending on the aims of the work (e.g. Picturing Parkinson’s ↘). Furthermore, a key focus of our engagement building capacity programme is to define who to engage i.e. the specific publics/communities (e.g. Into Silence, Fig. 4), exploring their needs and embracing diversity and inclusion (e.g. DNA dance, Fig. 5).
Aspect 2: Support
Capacity Building
There is an ever-growing programme of opportunities to equip researchers, professional services staff and students with the knowledge, skills, resources and networks to deliver high-quality engagement. Examples include:
The University PER Conferences (368 staff, student and external delegates to date).
An established and diverse PE training programme such as that led by the science Divisions (MPLS2 and MSD3; 589 participants in 3 years).
External provision e.g. Community Engagement training for social scientists.
Networks to foster relationships and broker partnerships e.g. the MSD PE Network and TORCH’s engagement community includes internal and external colleagues and partners.
Developing new and innovative programmes, such as the pilot PER Leadership Scheme and PER Laboratory (Fig. 7).
Online and printed best practice engagement guidance and resources include animations (3k+ views) and filmed case studies (e.g. Fig. 8; 30k+ total views).
Funding
There are many internal grants schemes to support engagement, for example:
The University’s PER Seed Fund (ca. £70k/yr) for researchers and Community Engagement Fund for external organisations (e.g. see Fig. 16).
Wellcome-funded Enriching Engagement scheme (ca. £250k/ funding round).
ESRC Impact Acceleration Account grants include PER Fellowships for researchers to partner with public-facing organisations.
The Social Enterprise Awards fund student and staff projects working in partnership with Oxfordshire communities.
Engagement facilitators also work with researchers in embedding and resourcing engagement into external grant proposals. There are also three Wellcome Centres each with an integrated PE programme.
There are a number of ways in which engagement is rewarded and recognised such as the VC’s PER Awards (see also Figs 11 - 13).
Oxford’s highly-sought after ‘Recognition of Distinction’ confers the title of Professor and the criteria includes the influence of the research activity through engagement.
Furthermore, Oxford has signed up to the San Francisco Declaration of Research Assessment (DORA) which includes research assessment on the difference made beyond academia.
Community-University Engagement
The University works in partnership with and provides funding and significant in-kind support to external organisations for engagement, e.g. IF-Oxford; Oxford Scientist writing competition; Cowley Road Works; I’m a Researcher and many community and cultural organisations, groups and individuals are supported through engagement grants.
The ongoing opportunities for communities to engage include:
Regular events through GLAM.
Get involved with our research online resource sign-posts opportunities to shape research through Patient & Public Involvement.
Online engagement via Oxford Sparks and Oxplore.
Since 2016, 457 researchers and DPhil students have published 642 online articles on The Conversation, reaching 21 million+ readers.
Aspect 3: Activity
Delivering your strategy: activitiesThere is a diverse portfolio of engagement programmes and activities that takes place. Between August 2016 – July 2019, over 18 million4 adults, young people and children from a diverse range of demographics engaged in exhibitions, community workshops, online engagement, schools activities, interactive theatre experiences and debates.
The below provides examples and reflects a small percentage of the activity taking place:
Public Engagement with Research: Engaging the public and communities with the design, conduct and findings of research, e.g:
Kwibuka Rwanda and Remembering Rwanda shared research on memory and justice relating to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi through photographic exhibitions (Fig. 14); fostered relationships and a collaboration with the Rwandan community; and inspired new research into diaspora commemoration.
Fig. 14: Kwibuka Rwanda and Remembering Rwanda photographic exhibition.
Mindfulness and Resilience in Adolescence (MYRIAD) is a large mental health research programme that engaged 2,500+ young people and influenced the shaping of the research:
Community and Cultural Engagement: The University makes a major contribution to the educational, social and cultural life of communities in Oxfordshire, nationally and overseas, e.g.:
The Department for Continuing Education provides face-to-face and online educational opportunities for communities from a diverse range of backgrounds (18-95 years old from Oxfordshire and around the world), with 15,000 courses completed each year (1,000 public courses and 160 CPD courses on offer).
Oxford’s Tropical Medicine and Global Health programme engages with local communities in Africa and Asia, e.g. Health in the Backyard was a film project to engage scientists and health workers in local animal farming practices.
GLAM have developed mutually beneficial relationships with many community groups, e.g. Multaka-Oxford creates volunteering opportunities for people who have recently arrived in Oxford as forced migrants.
Public Engagement: Leading, facilitating or partnering in many public engagement events and programmes, e.g.:
GLAM engages over 3.3 million visitors a year, with an extensive programme of exhibitions, events and learning programmes.
Working in partnership with local institutions through the Oxford Preservation Trust’s Oxford Open Doors weekend, one of the largest heritage open days in the country.
Beyond Boundaries science-inspired art competition featured 18 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic scientists and mathematicians to showcase their research to Oxfordshire schools and communities, receiving over 300 entries.
Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship: The University plays an integral role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship to benefit communities, for example:
The Oxford Foundry provides opportunities for students to engage locally and globally, and is supporting innovative projects, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which focus on making a positive difference to society and the economy.
Aspect 4: Results and learning
Evidencing successEvaluating engagement
Evaluation is an established part of Oxford’s engagement programme in which we gather data, evidence, outcomes and impacts at the strategic and activity level.
Progress towards engagement culture change is assessed using a Logic Model approach, the NCCPE’s EDGE analysis (Fig. 17) and quantitative and qualitative evaluation.
There is an in-depth programme of evaluation training and support for staff and students to evaluate their own engagement projects, led by specialist evaluation facilitators.
Outcomes from the evaluation of a small selection of culture change programmes, include:
166+ grants awarded for public and community engagement through internal funding schemes. Outcomes and impacts include: informed and inspired public audiences; developed new skills; changed perceptions; empowerment; shaped research direction; developed new partnerships and collaborations; and leveraged additional funding.
2,064 researchers and PE professionals have taken part in the public engagement and evaluation training and building capacity programme.
An in-depth evaluation of the VC’s PER Awards (to date: 194 entries; 41 award winners; 24 highly commended) demonstrated that the Awards increase awareness of the University’s commitment to PER; reward and recognise PER; and raise awareness of best practice and the value of engagement.
Key outcomes and impacts of engagement activities
Oxford’s European Researchers’ Night, Curiosity Carnival (Fig. 18) was a huge festival of PER: 42,496 people engaged with 516 researchers in a wide-variety of activities. Public outcomes included: inspiration and enrichment; changed perceptions of research. Researcher outcomes included: developed PER knowledge and skills; changed perceptions of the value of engagement.
2 million volunteers worldwide have engaged in 234 The Zooniverse Citizen Science projects. In addition to increasing the quality and impact of the research, public outcomes include: learning, enrichment and educational aspirations. Wider societal outcomes include an improved disaster relief response; positive changes to environmental policy and enhanced teaching in schools.
Oxford Sparks has produced 42 animations; 123 teaching resources; 106 podcasts; 27 live interviews; 3 online discovery weeks; a sci-art competition and parent-facing engagement project. Oxford Sparks films (1.2 million+ views in 3 years) inspire audiences and increase research knowledge and understanding.
GLAM welcomes over 3.3million visitors/year to its six sites5, to engage with the collections (8.4 million+ physical objects). Last year the community engagement team facilitated 133 sessions for diverse groups, partnering over 40+ different community organisations; reaching 3,022 community members.
Aspect 5: Acting on results
Communicating and acting on the resultsSharing successes, challenges and learning is part of our evaluation mind-set and we reflect on these with respect to: progress towards our objectives; to inform the evolution of our engagement strategy, and to improve the outcomes for the public, communities, researchers and students.
The following are in place to enable ongoing learning and reflection:
The PER Academic Advisory Network reviews progress of the PER Strategic Plan against the objectives and informs and shapes its implementation.
The PER Advisory Group of University and Divisional public engagement leads have a key role in shaping, supporting and evaluating culture change and strategic programmes.
There are University-wide opportunities for shared learning of best practice in engagement, e.g. the PER Conference (ca. 150+ delegates/ event, Fig. 19).
Participation in key University Committees and other groups reach influential stakeholders and raise awareness of: the strategic importance of PER; the PER programmes taking place and their outcomes and impacts; and gain feedback and insight.
Learning, findings and recommendations from evaluations of strategic programmes and engagement projects and activities (e.g. printed and online reports and resources; case studies) are shared through internal networks and with partners and externally with the wider community via various means (e.g. presentations; online; social media). For example, engagement staff and researchers regularly participate in the NCCPE’s Engage Conference and other events and external networks.
The findings of the evaluations have revealed a wealth of outputs, outcomes and shared learning and have resulted in many changes to those programmes and activities that significantly improve their effectiveness and impact (examples below).
For further information, please send queries to publicengagement@admin.ox.ac.uk
By meaningful we mean that the engagement: is purposeful and therefore the reasons for engaging and the expected outcomes (i.e. the difference to be made) are clear; that the target public audiences/participants/partners and communities have been thought through and articulated; has the potential for mutual benefit; and is innovative and creative, where appropriate.↩︎
Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division↩︎
Medical Sciences Division↩︎
Figure derived from HE-BCI data since 2016/17: 18,436,384 public attendees engaged in free public and community engagement events.↩︎
Museum of Natural History; Ashmolean Museum; Pitt-Rivers Museum; History of Science Museum; Bodleian Libraries; Botanic Gardens & Harcourt Arboretum.↩︎