Impact and engagement

We work with a variety of policy-makers across the world.

Claire Dunlop works with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on health and safety myths, and advised the World Bank, OECD, and European Commission’s Regulatory Scrutiny Board (RSB) on quality in international regulatory governance.

Oliver James, a member of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services Academic Reference Group, in 2018 produced a research note on the Inspectorate as a trusted source of information.

Duncan Russel worked with Scottish Natural Heritage on helping to engage stakeholders on ways in which to implement the Scotland Natural Environment White Paper, and UK parliament on scrutinising the UK Government's cross-cutting environmental strategies.

Sandra Kröger consulted on the European Social Pillar and the targets of EU 2020.

Between 2016-2018 Alison Harcourt held a prestigious knowledge exchange fellowships through UK in a Changing Europe and informed policymakers on the impact of Brexit on communications sector and cybersecurity Cabinet policy briefing March 2020 on Fintech and Brexit.

As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science Sarah Cooper hosted successive public engagements event (2018, 2019) to explore the construction of consent in the courtroom. The event incorporated two workshop sessions engaging Year 11, 12 and 13 students in cutting-edge social science problems on ‘Constructing Consent’ encouraging the teenagers to consider the role of the courtroom in society, and specifically how the institution tackles the contemporary observation of a pervading ‘rape culture’.

In 2019, Alice Moseley was commissioned (with Patrick Devine-Wright) to advise the Devon Climate Emergency Response Group on the design of a large-scale net zero citizen’s assembly, drawing on her research on citizen engagement in local politics. She was also a core member of the UoE team evaluating the assembly’s impacts. Citizens’ Assembly – Devon Climate Emergency.

Major support for our impact work comes from the Impact Accelerator Account [IAA]. The first IAA award (2014-2018) was extended in 2019 with a block grant of £1.15M to 2023 (PI Claire Dunlop). Researchers can apply to the fund to impact work under four schemes: rapid response, impact cultivation, social policy network, knowledge exchange fellowship and the larger project co-creation and business collaboration grants. Funds to support impact work have also come from Research England’s SPF funding for Policy@Exeter. With this funding Claire Dunlop has led the development of a research and training partnership with Sense about Science (SaS).