We are inviting every university and research institute in the UK to sign up to our Manifesto for public engagement.

The manifesto is a commitment to the following statements:

We believe that universities and research institutes have a major responsibility to contribute to society through their public engagement, and that they have much to gain in return.

We are committed to sharing our knowledge, resources and skills with the public, and to listening to and learning from the expertise and insight of the different communities with which we engage.

We are committed to developing our approach to managing, supporting and delivering public engagement for the benefit of staff, students and the public, and to sharing what we learn about effective practice.

Why sign up?

1. There is compelling evidence that public engagement is critical to a healthy higher education institution.

We outline some of the key evidence here.

2. Research funders expect universities to support public engagement

In 2010 the UK research funders published the Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research. In this they clearly articulate their expectations of institutions that they fund. One key way institutions can respond to this is by signing up to the Public Engagement Manifesto and acting on that commitment. The Research Councils’ Funding Assurance process invites institutions to confirm whether they are signatories. You can find out more about the current policy landscape here.

3. You can access help to develop your work in this area

Signing the Manifesto is not an end in itself, but a commitment to celebrate, share and support the public engagement activity within your institution. The NCCPE is offering support to any institution who wants to develop their work in this area.

In addition the NCCPE offer bespoke consultancy for manifesto signatories, and opportunities to participate in relevant events to support your work.

What next?

You can download the Manifesto for public engagement at the bottom of this page, and find out how to sign up for our Manifesto here.

Many universities choose to sign the manifesto at a special event, and to publish a press release to celebrate their commitment. If you are keen to do this, please get in touch as we would be delighted to support your event.

If you would like to learn more, please Download the Manifesto