UCL Public Policy

Description

UCL Public Policy works across the institution to build engagement and strengthen links between UCL researchers and public policy professionals. Its work creates opportunities for UCL’s world class research to inform public policy.

UCL boasts many centres of expertise which are highly engaged in the public policy sphere, including transport, health, energy, environment, planning, political science, law and engineering. An essential part of UCL’s ethos is to use its expertise to address the pressing global challenges that humanity faces today and will face in the future.

Academic-policy engagement takes a range of forms, from providing research or expertise in person or through written briefings to ensuring that policy is underpinned by good evidence.

UCL Public Policy is an initiative of the Office of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement). The team aims to maximise the way in which UCL improves public policy, by enabling researchers to inform public policy with evidence by:

• offering mechanisms for public policy engagement
• translating research into public policy focused outputs
• connecting researchers and policy professionals
• delivering specific public policy-focused projects
• drawing together public policy-related activity at UCL
• conducting research on the efficacy of academic-policy engagement

UCL Public Policy receives and manages research council funding to support a wide range of activities. From 2020 to 2024, it hosted the Research England-funded Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) project (www.cape.ac.uk), which focused on strengthening connections between universities and policy professionals. From 2025 onwards, UCL Public Policy is hosting the UPEN Programme Grant, funded by Research England, ESRC, and UKRI (https://upen.ac.uk/). This programme supports national efforts to enhance academic-policy engagement across the UK.

To stay up to date with UCL Public Policy’s latest, make sure to follow their LinkedIn page.

Currently active

Yes

Offers funding

Yes, this infrastructure provides funding in the following categories:

Founding year

2012

Contact details

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Categorisation

Type

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University affiliation(s)

University College London (UCL)
London

Partner Infrastructures

Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP)

The Centre for Science and Policy’s mission is to help improve the quality of public policy making through the more effective use of evidence and expertise. The Centre for Science and Policy starts … read more about Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP)

Cambridge

British Academy (BA)

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. It mobilises these disciplines to understand the world and shape a brighter future. ​ From artificial i… read more about British Academy (BA)

London

Additional Partnerships

Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE); London Borough of Camden; London Borough of Islington; London Borough of Newham; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN); London Borough of Lewisham; Greater London Authority