UCL Public Policy

How UCL Public Policy has developed our fellowship programme in response to collaborating with, and absorbing learning from, CAPE - Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement ⤵️ Since 2011 UCL Public Policy has operated a Fellowships Programme, placing academics in policy organisations. When the CAPE programme started in 2020 it drew upon the UCL Public Policy programme as a model to launch a muti-university and scaled-up research to policy fellowship programme.   CAPE provided hard evidence on the value that fellowships deliver, proved there was policy and research demand, but just how resource intensive they are in nature to administer.  In 2023 UCL Public Policy welcomed Alice Tofts as our new Policy Fellowships coordinator which has given us increased capacity to support Fellowships and to build in deep learning from CAPE across UCL. As part of her role Alice led a review of CAPE fellowships, and published a toolkit "Research to Policy Fellowships: Six Pillars for Optimising Success" which is available for all staff at UCL and anyone else who is interested in a policy fellowship. Alice has also been leading a new Policy Fellowship Network for professional staff across UK universities who support Fellowships to share learnings across the growing community. Find out more about the Research to Policy Fellowships: Six Pillars for Optimising Success toolkit ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e3yWvmSt.

📑New resource alert! Collaborative funding can be a valuable tool for stimulating engagement between researchers and policymakers. Our new toolkit, "Awarding Funding for Collaborative Academic-Policy Projects" supports greater understanding of the value of collaborative projects in academic-policy engagement, and how to set up a funding stream to make such awards. You’ll find practical advice and ready-to-use templates to help you: ✅ Integrate collaborative techniques into project design and delivery ✅ Understand what a good application to a collaborative funding scheme looks like ✅ Build a funding process, from applications to evaluation ✅ Develop tailored application forms and scoring criteria Download: https://lnkd.in/efDRRaem This toolkit is based on CAPE's experience of delivering the CAPE Collaboration Fund from 2020-23 in which we awarded £424,000 for 20 collaborative projects and was co-written by CAPE team members Robyn Parker Dr Olivia Stevenson Sarah Chaytor Rafael C. Hana Morel Daisy Forster from feedback from our collaboration funds awardees.

New blog by Alice Tofts: What does a lack of institutional memory mean for the potential impact of academic- policy engagement activities such as Policy Fellowships? Civil servants and policy professionals often move between roles, creating challenges for academic-policy engagement efforts like Policy Fellowships. This mobility can disrupt networks, lose momentum on key issues, and complicate the long-term impact of collaborative outputs, especially with arising intellectual property (ARI). To address these challenges, we can: 1️⃣ Foster wide team engagement and knowledge sharing during Fellowships. 2️⃣ Build networks connecting researchers and policy professionals. 3️⃣ Create communities of practice to sustain collaboration. Read the full blog now on Medium now. https://lnkd.in/gpPnTUrG

Do you manage policy fellowships, placements, or internships for academics into policy organisations in your role? Last chance to book your place at our new Policy Fellowships Network. It is open to those working at the intersection of academia and policy, and offers a collaborative space for sharing best practices, forging new partnerships, and learning from others with similar responsibilities. Join us at 16 December at 2pm, where we will showcase examples from universities who are already running policy fellowship schemes. 🗓️16 December | 14:00-15:00 | Online Book your place: https://bit.ly/4eFPgQV Alice Tofts

📰 a must-read in Wonkhe today: University research can ensure that AI benefits society by Itegbeyogene Ezekiel, Ph.D. which explores the evolving role universities and research organisations can play in the rapidly expanding AI landscape. The piece forms part of a larger body of work on 'Who Owns AI?' with a longer deep-dive report available now through UCL Public Policy https://lnkd.in/ekr7aVj7 UCL Public Policy UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS) Jack Stilgoe UCL Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) Sinéad M. Dr Olivia Stevenson

We're also delighted to share this brilliant piece by Itegbeyogene Ezekiel, Ph.D. - who has been vital to our work on AI ownership - published by Wonkhe today. Our collective future may depend on how the designers, controllers, “owners” and implementers of AI tools are managed within the public’s interest. What role, then, can universities play as the AI landscape continues to evolve? What strengths can research organisations bring that businesses cannot always match? UCL Public Policy UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS) UCL Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) Katherine W. Dr Olivia Stevenson Jack Stilgoe #artificialintelligence #publicpolicy

New news article: University research can ensure that AI benefits society Dr Itegbeyogene Ezekiel, Ph.D. UCL STEaPP - Science Technology Engineering and Public Policy describes in new Wonkhe article, how despite industry’s ability to outspend academia, universities still have strengths in artificial intelligence research that tech firms can’t always compete with. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eE3Qq3C3 #AI #Artificialintelligence Katherine W. Sinéad M. Dr Olivia Stevenson Liz Almond

Have you ever asked, who owns AI? While it’s true that a small cohort of big AI industry players dominate research and development in AI, the question of ownership remains complex and evolving. Over the last year, UCL Public Policy, Prof Jack Stilgoe, Itegbeyogene Ezekiel, Ph.D. and other experts at UCL have examined the context of competition and the market dynamics of AI. Exploring the key drivers for AI industry interest – talent recruitment, compute power, and quality and quantity of data – has revealed a number of important considerations for public policy. I’m delighted to share our findings which include: 📝 This short policy briefing offers a quick summary of key findings and considerations for policy. 🔎 A deeper dive into AI ownership in our more detailed report. UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS) UCL Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) Katherine W. Dr Olivia Stevenson #artificialintelligence #publicpolicy

Eight Policy Fellowships awarded to UCL researchers to strengthen policy engagement and impact! We’re proud to be increasing our Fellowship Programme offer including the launch of two new 2024-25 Policy Fellowship programmes and a suite of new resources to support and guide Fellows and Policy Organisations through the process. Read our news story to find out more. https://lnkd.in/eGnsHWrf Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Research England Katherine W. Alice Tofts Dr Olivia Stevenson Sarah Chaytor Richard Prager

💭“Our focus on collaboration proved a powerful enabler of engagement. It also served to help our project, and our institutions, to become more than the sum of our parts.” ⤵ In our latest essay, Why Collaboration is Critical in Academic-Policy Engagement, CAPE lead Sarah Chaytor explores the benefits of collaborating in a multi-institutional project and the ways in which we've embedded it. She suggests three approaches to support and strengthen collaborative approaches across our ecosystem: ✔️Sustainable and collaborative relationships with policy partners ✔️Building capacity for collaboration ✔️Multilateral approaches to academic-policy engagement ✔️Stronger coordination and collective convening across the academic-policy ecosystem Read in full ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ekFeUyje Too many collaborators to mention everyone in full here but our core CAPE team & partners: UCL Public Policy Policy@Manchester University of Nottingham Institute for Policy and Engagement Northumbria University Government Office for Science POST, UK Parliament Nesta