Guidance on engaging the public with your research

Public engagement includes all types of activity that seek to break down the barriers between research, innovation and society.

We take a broad view of public engagement and expect engagement activities to involve people in different ways, based on the requirements of the research and research discipline. Activities could include:

• public events and festivals of science and research
• patient and public involvement and engagement
• public dialogue
• co-production of new research between local communities and universities

Public engagement relates to several overlapping agendas, including:

• knowledge exchange
• responsible research and innovation
• equality, diversity and inclusion

Public engagement is not the same as impact, but can be a significant route to generating impact from research or innovation.

Benefits of public engagement

Public engagement with research and innovation has wide-ranging benefits, including:

• improving the quality of research and innovation and its impacts by taking into account the knowledge, skills and perspectives of other people, including those who may be impacted or affected by the work
• ensuring research and innovation is relevant to society, which can grow public trust and support for research and innovation, and increase the likelihood it is able to address the challenges facing society
• building the skills, knowledge, and understanding of researchers and innovators in how to engage people, as well as in areas including equitable partnership-working, ethics and evaluation

Key principles

Include public engagement at the start of the project

We encourage researchers and innovators to include public engagement activities in their funding applications. These should be costed in funding proposals. We recommend considering public engagement at the start of any project.

Expectations about public engagement and how it can be included in applications vary across our councils and across funding opportunities.

Explore available support

Explore the support available from your host institution to help you to plan and resource your work. Support for public engagement may be available from dedicated roles or colleagues responsible for research support, knowledge exchange or impact.

Listen to the public

Remember that public engagement is a two-way process so involves interaction and listening. This will enable you to ensure that everyone benefits from their involvement.

Identify your target group

Be clear about who you want to engage with and why. This will help you to choose the right approach for your project.

Include all relevant people

Consider how to open up your work to more of the public, especially those who have fewer opportunities to engage, and if there are any barriers to some being able to engage with the research. Ensure you follow principles of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Make sure the public is an equal partner

To make sure there are equitable relationships between researchers and the public, it is a good approach to discuss the motivations and expectations of all partners, and agree how you will distribute resources, responsibilities, efforts and benefits.

Consider the ethics

Consider the ethical implications of working with members of the public and communities, and agree a process for ethics review with your partner.

You should aim to follow any institutional review processes for considering social and ethical issues, such as:

• confidentiality and data protection
• equality, diversity and inclusion
• health and safety
• safeguarding

You should also consider that some sectors may approach these considerations differently, and that discussion may be required to reach agreement on how you will review any issues.

Read more about UKRI’s ethical principles and expectations of ethical review for research

Measure success

Think about what success will look like, for the public, the researchers and anyone else involved, and also how you will measure this.

Building evaluation into engagement activities can help to establish if the project has achieved its aims and helps everyone, including UKRI, learn how to better deliver and support public engagement.

UKRI policies and guidance

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has produced a framework for responsible research and innovation which outlines the importance of the public as a stakeholder in research and innovation.

EPSRC has developed guidance for engaging patients and the public as stakeholders.

The Natural Environment Research Council has produced a toolkit for leading environmental engagement (National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement)

The Science and Technology Facilities Council provides impact guidance (PDF, 370KB) which advises on how to include public engagement in funding applications.

The Medical Research Council provides guidance on payment for public partners.

We published the UKRI public engagement strategy in 2022 which sets out how we will break down the barriers between research and innovation, and society.

UKRI standard grants terms and conditions (paragraph RGC 2.9) commits grant recipients to adopting the principles, standards and good practice for public engagement with research.

Concordats UKRI has signed

We are signatories of the concordat for engaging the public with research which outlines a shared vision and expectations for a research culture that values, recognises and supports public engagement.

We are signatories of the shared commitment to public involvement which shows the importance and expectations we place on public involvement in all types of health and social care research.

We are signatories of the concordat to support the career development of researchers which includes public engagement as a key element of researcher development.

External guidance

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) provides a wide range of guidance for starting or continuing your public engagement journey. This includes topics such as:

• identifying why you want to engage and who with
• how to build equitable and strong partnerships
• ethical considerations
• evaluation

Where this advice differs from UKRI policies and guidance, our policies should be followed.

Examples of good practice for researchers

These case studies feature different types and methods of effective public involvement and engagement in research:

• Shared research priorities for better research and patient care
• Co-production with young people: TRIUMPH Youth Advisory Group
• Championing research about, by and for neurodivergent people
• Creative arts co-designed to improve children’s mental health
• Public conversation about research brings mutual learning and benefits
• Putting people with lived experience at the heart of a research study
• Representing public voices in a research study
• Embedding public voices into an organisation
• Partnering with students helps them upskill and improves research
• Creating a culture of public involvement in a research unit
• Co-creating a research study with Nairobi sex-workers

The NCCPE database of public engagement case studies features a range of different purposes, methods, perspectives and people.

Last updated: 7 March 2025