Why Public Engagement Matters for the Future of Research Excellence
NCCPE Co-director, Paul Manners gave a keynote presentation at the UCL Institute of Education's (IOE) sell-out Engagement and Impact event.
Here, Research Development Manager, Tatiana Souteiro Dias, blogs about the event for NCCPE audiences.
What will research look like in 2040? According to Research England’s Director of Research, Steven Hill, it won’t be defined by disciplinary boundaries but by how well universities collaborate with society to address the world’s most pressing challenges. This vision was at the heart of the recent Impact Meet-Up: Engagement, Research and Rigour event, held on 28 November at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, where academics, doctoral candidates and public engagement experts explored how collaboration can drive meaningful research impact.
REF 2029: A paradigm shift towards engagement and rigour
As universities prepare for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029, a paradigm shift is underway. According to NCCPE Co-Director Paul Manners, the conventional 'Mode 1' of research (Gibbons, Limoges, Nowotny, Schwartzman, Scott and Trow, 2010), where knowledge is confined to academic circles, is no longer the dominant paradigm. Increasingly, funders are prioritising 'Mode 2' (applied knowledge) and 'Mode 3' approaches, where knowledge is co-created with communities, policymakers and practitioners.
This shift is reflected in the redefined REF 2029 Impact profile, which acknowledges the significance of engagement processes in the realisation of impact and emphasises rigour in public engagement, ensuring it is both purposeful and mutually beneficial.
At the event, examples of high-quality public engagement showcased its transformative power. From co-designing projects with older adults in Manchester to sparking curiosity about physics in children through workshops in partnership with community based creative learning facilitators Discovery Planet C.I.C., these initiatives demonstrated how thoughtful public engagement can enrich research and foster societal change.
Collaboration will be the key metric by which universities judge themselves: collaboration with all sorts of people and communities to deliver the research that they need.
Rigour and reflexivity: cornerstones of transformative research
Dr Mukdarut Bangpan, IOE’s EPPI-Centre Associate Director, shared insights into how diverse engagement models, including linear, relational, and systemic approaches (Hopkins A., et al, 2021), can help researchers tackle complex challenges in society. Her work highlights the importance of tailoring engagement strategies to specific communities and countries' contexts and needs, fostering incremental changes that are sustainable over time. This flexibility is key to building partnerships that endure beyond the lifecycle of individual projects.
Another takeaway from Dr Bangpan's presentation was the emphasis on rigour at every stage of research and engagement. By involving a range of stakeholders, such as policymakers, practitioners, and the public, in evidence synthesis, researchers can ensure their work remains both methodologically robust and socially relevant. These participatory methods serve as a model for creating research that not only influences and informs, but transforms.
The message from these experts was clear: achieving impactful engagement requires intention and purpose. It is a craft that demands creativity, planning, and reflexivity. As REF 2029 approaches, universities must recognise public engagement as a cornerstone of research excellence.
The challenge is for us all, whether we are researchers, professionals, institutions, or policymakers, to build a culture where collaboration thrives. When done well, public engagement does not just connect research to society; it reimagines what research can achieve.