In 2020-21 the University was allocated £117,000 from Research England’s QR Strategic Priorities Fund (QR SPF). A key aim of QR SPF is to support universities to link effectively with policy research priorities and opportunities, from the local to the international. With support from the College Research Office, I coordinated the distribution of the funds. This involved setting internal priorities and allocating funds to support policy focused research in the College and beyond. Also by facilitating specific training with external providers, such as a Government Policy Masterclass, and launching a Policy Hub, the SPF will enhance research policy capacity for the future. In this presentation I reflect on the importance of policy engagement for academics and consider how the QR SPF has helped to lay the platform for a more sustainable policy focused research environment.
Dr Mark Bennister, School of Social and Political Sciences
Director of the Lincoln Parliamentary Research Centre (ParliLinc)