Each of the UK and devolved parliaments offer different ways for researchers to get involved in the policy process. Depending on your research and interests, you may want to target one or many of these. Details on how to engage and specific opportunities change regularly, so it is best to find out more directly via the websites of each parliament:
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UK Parliament and their guidance on academic engagement
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Scottish Parliament website and their guidance on academic engagement. You can also read The Scottish Parliament’s Academic Engagement document that sets out the mechanisms that exist to support engagement.
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Senedd Cymru Welsh Parliament and their guidance on academic engagement
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Northern Ireland Assembly and their guidance on how to get involved in their work
Interview with Clive Mitchell
In this interview, Clive Mitchell, Head of Terrestrial Science at NatureScot, explains the differences between engaging with parliaments and governments and discusses the importance of presenting clear, concise, and relevant evidence. Mitchell shares tips for gaining access to parliamentary processes, such as internships and proactive outreach, and reiterates the significance of strong, ongoing relationships with policymakers.
Engagement options with UK parliament
The following examples will give you a sense of the range of ways that you can engage with the UK Parliament (the House of Commons or House of Lords).
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Lead a response to a policy consultation (or find out who else is writing a response and contribute to theirs). You can subscribe to email lists that will provide notifications of the deadlines for all forthcoming consultations on the UK Government’s Policy Papers and Consultations website (note that there are similar services in each of the UK’s devolved administrations) or get other opportunities via the Knowledge Exchange Unit’s weekly email roundup.
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Feed into or write a Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) note.
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Engage with All-Party Parliamentary Groups.
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Submit evidence to a Select Committee inquiry, and if invited give oral evidence.
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Serve on advisory committees such as the Committee on Climate Change.
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Be appointed to lead a policy review (e.g., the economist Dan Corry was recently appointed to conduct an internal review of the regulation and regulators at the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs).
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Be appointed to lead a public inquiry and write a report (e.g. Professor of bacteriology, Hugh Pennington, has been invited to lead a number of public health inquiries).
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Do a secondment or policy placement.
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Apply for a fellowship in which you can conduct projects at Parliament.
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Visit the website Research impact at the UK Parliament to learn more about how to engage with Parliament as a researcher. These resources are provided by Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit.
Engagement options with the Welsh parliament
Interview with Chloe Corbyn and Hannah Johnson
In this interview, Chloe Corbyn, Senior Research Officer and Knowledge Exchange Lead, and Hannah Johnson, Knowledge Exchange Lead at Senedd Cymru explain how researchers can effectively engage with the Welsh Parliament. They discuss the differences between parliaments and governments, highlighting the importance of parliamentary scrutiny and representation. The interview provides practical steps for researchers to contribute evidence, engage with parliamentary committees, and build relationships with policymakers to influence decision-making, such as subscribing to their newsletter and applying for an apprenticeship,
Interview with Andy Schofield
In this interview, Andy Schofield, Director of Environment Platform Wales, introduces the organisation and its mission to connect the academic research community with policymakers in Wales. He explains the platform’s structure, funding, and objectives, highlighting its role in providing expert advice to Welsh Government and other policy organisations. Schofield also discusses various ways environmental researchers can engage with policy opportunities through the platform, such as joining the researcher database, participating in communities of research, and attending workshops and conferences.