Funding designed to widen involvement in Universities and Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) Programmes and strengthen the connection between academic research and public policy.
The Participation Fund supports activities that directly advance UPEN’s programme goals across its three core pillars:
- People
- Place
- Practice
You can find out more about UPEN Programmes in the following ways:
- Browse the UPEN Programmes webpages
- Sign up for the UPEN newsletter
- Follow UPEN on LinkedIn
UPEN Programmes team staff also welcome you getting in touch with them directly to find out what you can be involved in.
ELIGIBILITY
This opportunity is open to anyone who works at a UPEN university member institution (University of Worcester is a member). This includes both academics and professional services staff.
Applications are especially encouraged from:
- Individuals who are unable to access funding from their own institution to support participation in UPEN programme activities.
- Early or mid career researchers.
- Individuals who are based at institutions which are not partners in UPEN Programmes (UPEN Programmes partners are UCL and the Universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Durham, Huddersfield, Leeds, Nottingham Trent, Southampton, and Teesside, the Wales Centre for Public Policy at Cardiff University and Insights North East. Other key collaborators include the Institute for Community Studies, the Institute for Government, and Yorkshire Universities.)
Applicants will be asked to outline the purpose of the funding, how their activity contributes to UPEN Programme objectives, and confirm that no alternative institutional funding is available.
VALUE
Awards are up to £5000 in value.
The fund supports a broad range of activity, including:
- travel and accommodation to attend UPEN-led workshops and regional programmes
- honoraria for rapid evidence reviews, policy briefings or expert contributions
- responding to urgent policy questions from government partners
- convening national workshops to share insights that advance Programme priorities
- creative or innovative proposals that help deliver the UPEN Programmes’ aims
Below are some example scenarios in which the Participation Fund might be used. These are for illustrative purposes only and are not exhaustive.
- UPEN is running a series of workshops workshops over the next year with a regional partner on plans to support the strategic authority model set out in the Devolution White Paper. A UPEN member institution has colleagues who would like to attend, and it is agreed that they could contribute significantly to the meetings. However, they cannot access funding from their institution to cover travel and accommodation for six interested colleagues.
- UPEN has been liaising with three mayoral strategic authorities, and they are keen to know what they should be considering in relation to the challenges of AI. An academic in a UPEN member institution is an expert in this area and applies to the fund for an honorarium to cover their time to write a briefing note/rapid evidence review.
- As part of UPEN work to develop a national brokerage function, the Policy Engagement Coordinator (Practice) is in discussion with COBR who have requested an academic expert to brief them on the latest in Ukraine. These funds could be used to request to pay the identified academic(s) from a UPEN member institution an honorarium.
- A programme partner has been made aware that a policy team at a UPEN member university has won a prestigious award for a community workshop on lived experience of a particular policy intervention. This work could usefully contribute to the community policymaking programme. The UPEN member institution is invited to convene a national workshop to share key insights from their work.
- The Arts and Humanities sub-committee have been in touch with a programme co-lead around developing a piece of work together which aligns with the pillars’ programme activities. The work would advance the programme aims, and that of the sub-committee.
KEY DATES
Applications accepted on a rolling basis until 2028 – you can apply at any time if your proposed activity clearly contributes to UPEN’s programme aims (decisions typically issued within 15 working days).
Full details, including how to apply, can be found on the opportunity webpage.