Academic Partnership Programme

Empowering academic staff and institutions to transform research into meaningful policy impact

For 30 years, Policy Connect has been at the forefront of shaping UK public policy. Since 1995, we specialise in supporting parliamentary groups, forums and commissions, delivering impactful policy research and event programmes and bringing together parliamentarians and government in collaboration with academia, business and civil society to help shape public policy.

Policy Connect's reputation builds on its impressive record of translating cross-sectoral discussions and research into actionable information and recommendations for policymakers. This also includes forming strategic alliances with academic institutions. These alliances provide academic institutions with the support they need to actively engage in policymaking processes. Our Academic Partnership Programme provides training and ongoing support, tailored to ensure academic institutions maximise their impact on public policy. 

• Practical Workshops: Tailored sessions to help you understand how to navigate the UK political system and engage with policymakers.

• Real-World Insights: Hear directly from parliamentarians on how academic research can shape policy.

• Mentorship: Ongoing access to expert Policy Connect staff for continued guidance in your policy journey.

• Engagement Opportunities: Join our exclusive research network and potentially become part of advisory boards or steering groups for key projects

Why Now? REF 2029 Is on the Horizon

With the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) set for 2029, this is a critical window to develop partnerships that will demonstrably strengthen both your research impact and environment case studies.

  • REF places increasing emphasis on impact beyond academia, particularly in the realm of policy influence.
  • Our programme offers tangible ways to build sustained, evidenced impact, from parliamentary engagement to policy submissions.
  • Embedding engagement now allows you to generate high-quality, trackable impact over time, in line with REF expectations.

We’re already working with several UK universities who are co-developing policy-facing projects, contributing to inquiry boards, and co-hosting parliamentary events with us. By joining our network now, your department will be well-positioned to evidence rich, meaningful impact for REF 2029.

What we offer

Policy Connect can provide the following elements, either stand-alone or as part of a programme:

  • Policy & Impact Training sessions:
    • Foundational knowledge for academic audiences that are new to policy work
    • Advanced knowledge for specialist academic audiences with some prior knowledge or experience engaging with policy
  • Policy impact clinic, providing tailored advice for achieving impact for academic research projects
  • Secondment opportunities for academic staff and PhD candidates
  • Career advice sessions for students and early-career researchers
  • Access to Policy Connect policy programmes across our 5 core policy areas, e.g. roundtables, conferences, research inquiries
  • Networking opportunities and support of development of own networks for academic staff
  • Knowledge exchange and science communication support through the production of impactful policy briefings from academic research to feed into formal and informal engagements with policymakers
  • Bid support: we act as co-investigators or strategic partners to strengthen policy pathways to impact.

Partnership programmes can be tailored to emphasise particular components over others, depending on the need of academic institutions, departments or particular cohorts. Individual components can also be booked separately, either as one-off sessions or series of sessions/combinations.

Testimonials

"We were very pleased with the five workshops Policy Connect developed and ran for the University, which included opportunities to hear from MPs and Peers. Attendees gave positive feedback on their experience, such as the inclusion of real-life examples to illustrate points." - Adam Bond, Head of Major Projects and Partnerships, University of Sheffield

"We have valued our partnership with Policy Connect by contributing our research to their impactful policy reports. We are now very much looking forward to University of Derby’s wider academic research teams gaining practical understanding of the policy world through a series of workshops so their work can gain even greater impact." - Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Derby

"We received excellent feedback from our academic staff who participated in the policy impact workshop. It really helped colleagues develop practical ideas and give them the confidence to engage with policy makers about their research." - Dr Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg, former Research Impact and Knowledge Senior Manager, Open University

For more information about the Partnership Programme, please contact Victoria.Zeybrandt [at] policyconnect.org.uk (Victoria[dot]Zeybrandt[at]policyconnect[dot]org[dot]uk)