2023 Engage Watermark Winners Announced
Four UK higher education institutions have been awarded the Engage Watermark, a charter mark recognising outstanding commitment to supporting public and community engagement.
Higher education institutions face increasing pressure to ensure their research, knowledge and teaching involves, and benefits, their communities. Many are reassessing how they create and share knowledge, striving to work more inclusively and collaboratively with a range of communities – including voluntary and civic, industry, policy, arts, culture, and the public - to maximise the value of their work.
How universities engage with communities is recognised by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) Engage Watermark - a charter mark awarded to universities for excellence in their support and practice of public engagement across all aspects of their work.
The awards were announced live at the NCCPE Engage Online Conference 2023 on Wednesday 6 December.
The 2023 Engage Watermark winners are:
- University of Manchester - awarded the Platinum Watermark, only the second university to be successful in achieving the Platinum award
- The University of Nottingham - awarded the Silver Watermark
- The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics - awarded the Silver Watermark
- The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging- awarded the Silver Watermark
The winning institutions underwent a rigorous assessment process involving staff and students from across their campuses, and the partner organisations and communities working with them.
Sophie Duncan, Co-director of the NCCPE said “As well as challenging the sector and campaigning for change, the NCCPE also champions excellent practice. We’re thrilled to be able to award a Watermark to four UK HE institutions for demonstrating their commitment to public engagement. Watermark represents a significant achievement and recognises the many strengths that we discovered during the process such as strong and committed leadership, excellent professional support, and ambitious future plans."
University of Manchester
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester said: “As a passionate advocate for public engagement, I’m proud that we have embedded a culture of high-quality practice through our core goal of social responsibility. We are delighted to be recognised nationally with a prestigious Platinum Watermark for our sustained excellence and leadership in public engagement.”
University of Nottingham, Silver Watermark Award, 2023
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane Norman said: “I am delighted that the University of Nottingham’s commitment to public engagement has won national recognition. Our teaching and research is informed and enriched by interaction with the communities we serve. Public engagement is at the core of our mission as a civic university and our vision as a university without borders. It strengthens the value of our publicly funded research by ensuring it is informed by and addresses real-world experience, and offers students an opportunity to make a difference. By reaching out, sharing, and co-creating knowledge we help build stronger communities and inspire young people to reach their potential.”
The Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, Silver Watermark Award, 2023
Prof John Todd, Professor of Precision Medicine and Director of the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics said: ‘‘Public engagement is crucial for promoting scientific literacy and fostering public trust in science. Receiving the Silver Engage Watermark Award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics. This award highlights our commitment to public engagement and encourages us to continue using our new strategy, mission, and priorities to guide our future approach. We look forward to working with NCCPE over the next three years and continue developing our practice and leadership in public engagement.’’
The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Silver Watermark Award, 2023
Carinne Piekema, WIN’s Public Engagement Manager said: “The Watermark process was an excellent catalyst for us – an opportunity to take stock and carefully consider our next steps in our drive to make our research as relevant to society as possible. We look forward to including a greater number of stakeholders in our research in a way that is meaningful and impactful, and produces research results that benefit everyone. This Silver Award was also an affirming opportunity to better understand what is already working well for engagement at our Centre, and to celebrate the hard work and commitment of our colleagues.”
