Policy Engagement Kickstart (Online)

Course has already taken place

Max Places:
24

Description
Tutors
Ged Hall (OD&PL), Paul Hayes (Senior Policy Fellow, Leeds University
Business School) and James Hall (Faculty Impact Manager, Faculty of
Social Sciences).

Description
This action-oriented programme will provide you with the knowledge and
skills you need to engage with policy makers, from planning your
projects through to communicating your research findings.

After completing the programme, you will:
• Be able to articulate the impact your own research could have on
policy making
• Understand the landscape of UK government at central, devolved and
local level
• Appreciate how policy is made, from ideas through to implementation
• Learn how academic research is used in policy making
• Know the different routes to engagement with policy makers that are
open to you, and the benefits and challenges of each
• Map your networks and learn how to expand them
• Get tips on increasing the visibility of your research through use of
articles and social media
• Be able to talk about your research in ways that are understandable
and compelling for non-academic audiences
• Be able to plan for impact right from the start of research projects

The course covers practical exercises to build a policy map related to
your research area, a policy engagement plan, simple steps to develop
your visibility to policy makers, and building a theory of change for
how you get from where you are now to the policy impact you want to
achieve.

It is made up of four modules covering:
1. The landscape of government and policy making
2. Policy making, evidence and engagement
3. Developing networks and building your profile
4. Communicating your research

Each module comprises of self-study material (see pre-work) and a
workshop. The workshops will be delivered online and are a mix of
presentations, group and individual activities.

Subject to funding, we hope to run a workshop in summer 2026 on
Understanding the Politics in Policy Making, delivered by the Institute
for Government, which participants will have the opportunity to join.

The Policy engagement kickstart programme has been developed for the
University of Leeds by the Institute for Government, in collaboration
with Policy Leeds, OD&PL, and Leeds Social Sciences Institute (LSSI).

Pre-work
Each module is made up of an online self-study module and an in-person
workshop. You should complete the self-study prior to attending the
associated workshop. Access to the self-study will be via a course
Microsoft Teams and will open on 19 January 2026.

The self-study will introduce you to key knowledge, give you activities
to allow you to tailor this learning to your research area, and
directions to further reading and resources. We anticipate the self-
study taking up to 1-2 hours per module on average, with the first two
modules being slightly longer than the later modules.

Comments from previous participants:
"It's been great to gain some insight into the way that researchers
are trained in getting their research in front of policy makers. It was
interesting to note the communication techniques that they're taught to
use - I'd recommend all researchers that I work with attend the
training"

"This course provided a huge amount of useful insight, information,
ideas and strategies for engaging in impact work across a wide range of
settings. The activities and extra work are well-structured and clear to
maximise their utility. The group activities are really helpful and a
great format for ideas and immediate feedback on your ideas. I would
highly recommend it."

"This is an excellent course that helped me gain a confident
understanding of complex policymaking concepts. I enjoyed the self study
materials and the online sessions. The combination of teaching
approaches worked really well for me. It is worth making sure you have
protected time for the self study work to get the most out of the
resources."