![]() The consortium concluded that while participation and value placed on public engagement has increased in recent years, “researchers and institutions remain uncertain about public engagement, within the context of a profession that is driven by research (and teaching)”. In December 2015, a Consortium of 16 funders of UK public research commissioned a research study to investigate the current landscape of public engagement by researchers in higher education, research institutes and clinical settings. However, many researchers are still unsure of how to participate effectively. These developments have led to the institutionalisation of public engagement in many higher education institutes. ![]() As of 2010 The European Commission has recognised public engagement as the most important factor in its “Responsible Research and Innovation” and “Science with and for Society” frameworks. Research Councils UK now require a 2-page “Pathways to Impact” statement with all bids and have published a Concordat for Engaging the Public With Research. Thereby, impact was very broadly defined as ‘an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia’. The increasing importance of translation of research results towards the benefits of the wider general public, including public engagement, was recognised in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework which awards 20% of the overall score to “impact”. In 2008 Research Councils UK and The Wellcome Trust established the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement with an aim to “support a culture change in the HEI sector”. This call has been supported by a number of large public engagement grants from organisations such as The Wellcome Trust and the Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC). In recent years many of the institutions that govern and fund public research have called for increased participation in public engagement. IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE This definition published in 2010 could be expanded to include novel methods of Public Engagement such as Massive Open Online Courses and other e-learning methods which are rapidly increasing in popularity. web based experiments)Įngaging with young people to inspire them about research (eg, workshops in schools)Ĭontributing to new media enabled discussion forums. Involving the public as researchers (e.g. Researchers and public working together to inform policy Working with museums / galleries / science centres and other cultural venuesĬreating opportunities for the public to inform the research questions being tackled The Research Councils UK public engagement concordat defines public engagement as a diversity of activities including : ![]() The ‘public’ includes individuals and groups who do not currently have a formal relationship with an HEI through teaching, research or knowledge transfer”. “‘Public engagement involves specialists in higher education listening to, developing their understanding of, and interacting with non-specialists. The Higher Education Funding Council for England further emphasises the “two-way” process of Public Engagement with a more precise definition of the “public”: Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit” , The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) defines public engagement as: “the myriad ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. However, several key organisations that promote public engagement have provided some broad definitions. The precise definitions are constantly evolving to incorporate new means of engagement, facilitated by emerging technologies. “Public engagement” in science is a term that covers a broad spectrum of activities undertaken by the scientific community. DEFINITION OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE
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