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Policy engagement opportunities

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A policy engagement opportunity is where individuals, organisations, or stakeholders contribute their insights, data, and experiences to inform and shape policy. This interaction typically occurs when a government body seeks researcher input on a particular issue, policy area, or proposed legislation.

How does policy engagement work?

Participants in the engagement process submit research findings or expert opinions in writing directly to policy makers. This process allows for a diverse range of voices to be heard and ensures that the resulting policies are well-informed. It fosters transparency and accountability in the policymaking process, helping stakeholders understand the rationale behind policy decisions.

What do we include in Engage?

In Overton Engage, we bring together a wide range of opportunities for you to share your expertise with policymakers and make an impact in the policy world. These include:

  • Calls for evidence and consultations: Organisations may ask for your input on specific topics, often through answering questions or attending meetings.
  • Government research priorities: Sometimes known as ARIs in the UK or Learning Agendas in the US, these are broader research questions that steer a government department’s work over several years. You might engage by writing a short briefing or attending a meeting.
  • Fellowships: These offer a chance to work closely with policymakers on either long-term issues or specific policy areas, typically with hands-on involvement in the policy process.
  • Internships: Aimed at early career researchers, these opportunities let you work within a government department for a few months, gaining first-hand experience in policy making.
  • Funding: We also highlight funding opportunities designed to support research that informs and influences policy decisions.
  • Expert advisory committees: These opportunities involve joining panels of subject matter experts to provide advice on specific policy challenges.

At Overton, we want to make it easy for you to connect with the right policy opportunities, whether you’re looking to share research, get involved in long-term projects, or sit on an expert committee.

A note on what we don’t include:

At Overton Engage, we avoid listing opportunities that wouldn’t benefit from an academic’s input. This means we don’t include consultations specifically aimed at local residents or people with lived experience. While we do feature consultations from local governments and councils—since many academics want to support their communities—we focus on opportunities that have the potential to shape ongoing policy decisions, rather than just single-issue responses.

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Opportunities in Overton Engage

The types of policy engagement opportunities we collect include Government Areas of Research Interest (ARIs), Calls for Evidence, Government Policy Fellowships, Government Research Learning Objectives, Parliamentary Consultations, Expert Advisory Groups and more.

Areas of Research Interest (ARI)
UK Government areas of research interest comprise multi-year agendas and priorities determined by civil servants within government departments. While these often align with the political objectives of the governing party, they are specifically crafted to direct and focus research efforts.
Consultations
A consultation involves a targeted inquiry aimed at gathering expert insights to inform policy decisions. Typically lasting for several months, these consultations invite contributions from academics to provide evidence-based recommendations. The findings may support policy development, inform debates, or guide decision-making processes.
Fellowships
A policy fellowship offers a focused period of research and engagement, enabling participants to contribute to policy and legislative work while gaining insight into parliamentary processes. Fellows often collaborate with government bodies or research centres, through secondments or funded projects, addressing key issues through co-designed research that supports policy-making.
Internships
A policy internship offers PhD students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the nexus of research, evidence, and policymaking. These internships are often structured to enhance career development. Participants may engage in organising and attending policy workshops, as well as writing and editing reports aimed at non-expert audiences. Through internships, students deepen their understanding of how science and evidence drive policymaking, and the critical role of interdisciplinary approaches.
Funding
Funding opportunities offer financial support for research projects designed to inform and influence designated policy priority areas. These opportunities enable researchers to secure the necessary resources to conduct studies that align with key governmental or organisational objectives thus facilitating targeted advancements in policy-related fields.
Advisory Committees
An Advisory Committee is a group of individuals with specialised knowledge and expertise in a particular field who are convened to provide informed advice, guidance, and recommendations to an organisation, government agency, or decision-making body. Their role is to offer objective, evidence-based insights that can help shape policies, programs, and strategies.
Learning Agendas
The US Government’s Learning Agendas are strategic goals used by federal agencies to identify and address their key learning and evaluation needs. They outline the questions the agency aims to answer about its programs and policies to improve their effectiveness and efficiency. Learning Agendas prioritise areas for evaluation, data collection, and analysis. They aim to inform decision-making by systematic evidence, thereby enhancing the agency’s ability to achieve its mission and deliver better outcomes for the public.

Updated on September 27, 2024
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