Events from OPEN
Connecting research with policy can be a daunting task, given the many forms of government and ways to engage. OPEN offers a diverse range of activities throughout the year, including workshops, talks, masterclasses, and networking events. These events offer practical guidance to researchers and policymakers on how to collaborate effectively and bridge the gap between their respective areas of expertise.
Engaging with policymakers is essential for ensuring that research findings are taken into account when making policy decisions. By working together, researchers and policymakers can create evidence-based policies that have a real impact on society.
Researchers and professional services staff from all areas of the University are welcome to take part in OPEN's activities, and increase their confidence for engaging with policymakers and better understand how to bridge the divide between their areas of expertise and work together in effective ways.
New events are being added regularly so Join OPEN or follow OPEN on X (formerly Twitter) for updates.
15 October | Workshop: Getting Started in Policy Engagement for Social Sciences
14:00 - 16:00, Social Sciences Division.
If you are interested in creating valuable connections between academia and policymakers and sharing your research insights to better inform public policies, this opportunity is for you. This introductory session, tailored to those new to policy engagement, is designed to support Social Sciences researchers, DPhil students, and professional services staff, in transforming their motivations for impact into a structured understanding of how to engage with the public policy world.
Learning outcomes
- A better understanding of the differences between policy influence, impact, and engagement.
- Enhanced understanding of the policy process at different levels of government (local, regional, national and international)
- Increased awareness of practical tools and strategies to create a policy engagement plan
In this session, you will benefit from a combination of presentations, short exercises, and opportunities to discuss with peer researchers your motivations, plans, and challenges when it comes to engaging with policymakers and the public policy world.
Intended audience
Researchers from all divisions, DPhil Students, and Professional Services Staff.
Facilitators
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning & Development Manager, OPEN
Noora Kanfash, Social Sciences Public Policy Engagement Facilitator
16 October | Workshop: Getting Started in Policy Engagement for Medical Sciences
14:00 - 16:00, Wellington Square, 12-M Room 12.
If you are interested in creating valuable connections between academia and policymakers and sharing your research insights to better inform public policies, this opportunity is for you. This introductory session, tailored to those new to policy engagement, is designed to support Medical Sciences researchers, DPhil students, and professional services staff, in transforming their motivations for impact into a structured understanding of how to engage with the public policy world.
Learning outcomes
- A better understanding of the differences between policy influence, impact, and engagement.
- Enhanced understanding of the policy process at different levels of government (local, regional, national and international)
- Increased awareness of practical tools and strategies to create a policy engagement plan
In this session, you will benefit from a combination of presentations, short exercises, and opportunities to discuss with peer researchers your motivations, plans, and challenges when it comes to engaging with policymakers and the public policy world.
Intended audience
Researchers from all divisions, DPhil Students, and Professional Services Staff.
Facilitators
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning & Development Manager, OPEN
Naomi Gibson, Public and Policy Engagement Facilitator (Medical Sciences Division)
22 October | Workshop: Getting Started in Policy Engagement for Humanities
10:00 - 12:00, Online.
If you are interested in creating valuable connections between academia and policymakers and sharing your research insights to better inform public policies, this opportunity is for you. This introductory session, tailored to those new to policy engagement, is designed to support Humanities researchers, DPhil students, and professional services staff, in transforming their motivations for impact into a structured understanding of how to engage with the public policy world.
Learning outcomes
- A better understanding of the differences between policy influence, impact, and engagement.
- Enhanced understanding of the policy process at different levels of government (local, regional, national and international)
- Increased awareness of practical tools and strategies to create a policy engagement plan
In this session, you will benefit from a combination of presentations, short exercises, and opportunities to discuss with peer researchers your motivations, plans, and challenges when it comes to engaging with policymakers and the public policy world.
Intended audience
Researchers from all divisions, DPhil Students, and Professional Services Staff.
Facilitators
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning & Development Manager, OPEN
Thomas Kelsey, Humanities and Public Policy Officer
Naomi Waltham-Smith, Professor of Music
23 October | Workshop: Getting Started in Policy Engagement for MPLS
10:00 - 12:00, RSL Seminar Room.
If you are interested in creating valuable connections between academia and policymakers and sharing your research insights to better inform public policies, this opportunity is for you. This introductory session, tailored to those new to policy engagement, is designed to support MPLS researchers, DPhil students, and professional services staff, in transforming their motivations for impact into a structured understanding of how to engage with the public policy world.
Learning outcomes
- A better understanding of the differences between policy influence, impact, and engagement.
- Enhanced understanding of the policy process at different levels of government (local, regional, national and international)
- Increased awareness of practical tools and strategies to create a policy engagement plan
In this session, you will benefit from a combination of presentations, short exercises, and opportunities to discuss with peer researchers your motivations, plans, and challenges when it comes to engaging with policymakers and the public policy world.
Intended audience
Researchers from all divisions, DPhil Students, and Professional Services Staff.
Facilitators
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning & Development Manager, OPEN
Naomi Gibson, Public and Policy Engagement Facilitator (Medical Sciences Division)
5 November | Workshop: Stakeholder mapping for Academic-Policy Engagement for Humanities
10:00 - 12:00, Radcliffe Humanities Building, Seminar Room
Who do you need to engage with in the policy world to achieve impact? In this workshop, we will help answer this and other questions by equipping researchers, professional services staff and DPhil students to identify and map the people and groups who influence or are impacted by their research, when it comes to policy engagement. Using stakeholder analysis frameworks and interactive exercises, participants will learn to identify and categorise their relevant audiences across government agencies and other pertinent policy actors.
Learning outcomes
- A greater ability to identify, evaluate and prioritise those in the policymaking community who may have an interest in policy-relevant research
- A better understanding of the value of systematic stakeholder analysis
- The guidance and resources available to support stakeholder analysis
Intended audience
Researchers, DPhil students, and Professional Services Staff.
Facilitators
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning & Development Manager, OPEN
Thomas Kelsey, Humanities and Public Policy Officer
7 November | Masterclass: Navigating the Intersection of Science and Policy
14:00 - 15:30, Blavatnik School of Goverment, Tun Razak lecture theatre
In today's increasingly complex world, decision-makers are tasked with solving problems that demand deep understanding and carefully considered solutions. Scientific research is essential in this process, offering evidence-based insights that help leaders grasp key issues and evaluate the implications of their choices.
But how can researchers ensure their work effectively informs policy? What strategies have been successful in bridging the gap between research and policymaking, and what should researchers keep in mind when engaging with government officials?
Join us for a thought-provoking masterclass with Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government’s Food Standards Agency, and Professor Charles Godfray, Director of the Oxford Martin School. Drawing on their extensive experience at the intersection of science and policy, they will share practical insights, real-world examples, and lessons learned for researchers to engage with policymakers and enhance their impact on policy.
Intended audience
Researchers, DPhil students, Professional Services Staff
12 November | Workshop: Stakeholder mapping for Academic-Policy Engagement for Medical Sciences
14:00 - 16:00, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Seminar room 2
Who do you need to engage with in the policy world to achieve impact? In this workshop, we will help answer this and other questions by equipping researchers, professional services staff and DPhil students to identify and map the people and groups who influence or are impacted by their research, when it comes to policy engagement. Using stakeholder analysis frameworks and interactive exercises, participants will learn to identify and categorise their relevant audiences across government agencies and other pertinent policy actors.
Learning outcomes
- A greater ability to identify, evaluate and prioritise those in the policymaking community who may have an interest in policy-relevant research
- A better understanding of the value of systematic stakeholder analysis
- The guidance and resources available to support stakeholder analysis
Intended audience
Researchers, DPhil students, and Professional Services Staff.
Facilitators
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning & Development Manager, OPEN
Naomi Gibson, Public and Policy Engagement Facilitator (Medical Sciences Division)
13 November | Workshop: Stakeholder mapping for Academic-Policy Engagement for Social Sciences
14:00 - 16:00, Social Sciences Division
Who do you need to engage with in the policy world to achieve impact? In this workshop, we will help answer this and other questions by equipping researchers, professional services staff and DPhil students to identify and map the people and groups who influence or are impacted by their research, when it comes to policy engagement. Using stakeholder analysis frameworks and interactive exercises, participants will learn to identify and categorise their relevant audiences across government agencies and other pertinent policy actors.
Learning outcomes
- A greater ability to identify, evaluate and prioritise those in the policymaking community who may have an interest in policy-relevant research
- A better understanding of the value of systematic stakeholder analysis
- The guidance and resources available to support stakeholder analysis
Intended audience
Researchers, DPhil students, and Professional Services Staff.
Facilitators:
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning & Development Manager, OPEN
Noora Kanfash, Social Sciences Public Policy Engagement Facilitator
27 November | OPEN Conversation: International Policy Engagement
10:00 - 11:30, Online
Engaging policymakers across international borders requires a nuanced approach that accounts for diverse political, cultural, and regional contexts. Join us in this OPEN conversation, to delve into what works for informing public policy when decision-makers are based overseas.
Drawing from the work of former OPEN award holders in various regions across the Globe, participants will explore key topics such as navigating complex political landscapes, building effective stakeholder networks, and addressing cultural differences.
This is a very interactive session where participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with leading experts drawing on their experience working at the intersection of academia and policy:
- Dr Isang Awah: Head of Advocacy at the Global Parenting Initiative (GPI), with extensive experience in African policy contexts
- Professor Richard Maude: Head of the Epidemiology Department at Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Bangkok, Thailand, offering insights from South-East Asian health policy
- Dr Jose Maria Valenzuela: Postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society (InSIS), bringing perspectives from Mexico's energy and climate policy
Come prepared to ask questions, share perspectives from your own context, and engage in an open dialogue.
Intended audience
Researchers, DPhil students, Professional Services Staff
28 November & 5 December | Workshop: Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
10:00 - 12:00, venue TBC
Putting in place effective processes for learning is key to getting better at policy engagement, and to meeting some of the demands we face to demonstrate the impact of our work. But what tools and resources can we use - and how do we use them?
To help researchers answer these questions, the Policy Engagement Team is offering a short course, comprising two parts, each lasting 2 hours.
Learning outcomes
- A better understanding of the foundational concepts of monitoring and evaluation, including the principles and methodologies used to assess policy engagement outcomes.
- More proficiency to develop a theory of change, and to track outcomes and impacts.
28 November: In Part 1, participants will engage in small-group and plenary activities. They will learn about effective techniques for monitoring, evaluation, and learning related to policy engagement. These concepts are then applied through drafting a theory of change.
5 December: In Part 2, participants will expand their understanding of tracking outputs and impacts throughout the project cycle by utilizing pertinent tools and techniques. They will put their knowledge into practice by applying one of the previously reviewed tools within the context of a case study.
Intended audience
OPEN Award holders (priority), Researchers and Professional Services Staff
3 December | Networking: Peer Mentoring Networking Event (Climate, Energy and the environment)
14:00 - 16:30, St Anne's College (Ruth Deech Building)
Join us for a dynamic event on climate, energy, and environmental policy at the launch of the new round of the OPEN Peer Mentoring Event. Connect with Oxford researchers and policy professionals through a facilitated networking session, followed by an expert panel discussion. Learn from peers and contribute to bridging the gap between academic insights and effective policymaking.
More details to be shared soon.
Intended audience
Researchers, DPhil students, Professional Services Staff, Policy Makers part of the Peer Mentoring Scheme
To explore more events related to policy and research that are taking place across the University, visit the Research and Public Policy Collection on OxTalks.