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Policy Connect partners with organisations across academia, industry, and the third sector to help them navigate the UK policy landscape and achieve meaningful impact. We specialise in creating opportunities for engagement, whether through high-quality events, targeted policy advocacy, or rigorous research, to ensure that the issues you care about are understood by the right people at the right time.
Our team provides strategic support to help you shape your message, connect with policymakers, and build long-term influence. From convening cross-sector discussions in Parliament to producing evidence-led reports, we work collaboratively to elevate your voice and translate insight into action. By working with us, you gain a trusted partner focussed on advancing your priorities and driving positive change.
Policy Connect works in a wide range of policy areas, offering organisations the opportunity to engage directly with parliamentarians, contribute to policy discussions, and help shape the national conversation on key issues. Through a Policy Connect membership, partners can raise the profile of their work, share insights with policymakers, and participate in a programme of events, evidence sessions, and research activity that Policy Connect convenes for a range of All-Party Parliamentary Groups, Research Commissions and Forums.
Membership provides a structured route for organisations to bring attention to the challenges and opportunities within their sector, ensuring their priorities are heard in Parliament on an ongoing basis. Working with our experienced policy teams, members benefit from coordinated engagement, clear communication channels, and opportunities to collaborate with stakeholders across academia, industry, and the third sector.
By joining Policy Connect, you can amplify your voice, strengthen your influence, and play an active role in informing policy development in areas that matter to you. If you would like to discuss membership options, please get in touch and we will be happy to explore how we can support you.
Policy Connect supports the following Cross-Party Forums:
If you have an issue or idea you want to bring to the attention of policymakers, stakeholders, or the wider public, Policy Connect can help you shape and deliver an event that achieves real impact. We work with partners to design focussed, high-quality discussions that highlight the challenges and opportunities surrounding your area of interest, ensuring that the right voices are in the room and the conversation leads to meaningful outcomes.
Our team supports every stage of the process, from developing the event concept and securing parliamentary venues to identifying speakers, briefing participants, and managing logistics. Whether you are raising awareness of emerging research, launching new findings, or convening a cross-sector dialogue on a critical issue, we help create a platform that captures attention and drives engagement.
By working with us, you can turn your idea into a well-structured, influential event that strengthens your message and contributes to positive policy change.
If you have evidence, insights, or emerging findings that you want to bring into the policy conversation, Policy Connect can work with you to develop research outputs that inform and influence decision makers. We support partners by translating complex ideas into clear, accessible analysis that highlights why an issue matters and what action is needed.
Our research offer ranges from concise policy briefs that quickly communicate key messages, to in depth inquiries that involve stakeholder engagement, expert testimony, and detailed recommendations. We also provide opportunities for organisations to sponsor and shape our longer inquiries, giving you a meaningful role in guiding the questions we explore and the policy areas we examine.
Whether you want to spotlight a specific challenge, generate new evidence, or contribute to a broader programme of policy development, we help ensure your research has visibility, credibility, and impact.
For 30 years, Policy Connect has been at the forefront of shaping UK public policy. Since 1995, we specialise in supporting parliamentary groups, forums and commissions, delivering impactful policy research and event programmes and bringing together parliamentarians and government in collaboration with academia, business and civil society to help shape public policy.
Policy Connect’s reputation builds on its impressive record of translating cross-sectoral discussions and research into actionable information and recommendations for policymakers. This also includes forming strategic alliances with academic institutions. These alliances provide academic institutions with the support they need to actively engage in policymaking processes. Our Academic Partnership Programme provides training and ongoing support, tailored to ensure academic institutions maximise their impact on public policy.
• Practical Workshops: Tailored sessions to help you understand how to navigate the UK political system and engage with policymakers.
• Real-World Insights: Hear directly from parliamentarians on how academic research can shape policy.
• Mentorship: Ongoing access to expert Policy Connect staff for continued guidance in your policy journey.
• Engagement Opportunities: Join our exclusive research network and potentially become part of advisory boards or steering groups for key projects
With the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) set for 2029, this is a critical window to develop partnerships that will demonstrably strengthen both your research impact and environment case studies.
We’re already working with several UK universities who are co-developing policy-facing projects, contributing to inquiry boards, and co-hosting parliamentary events with us. By joining our network now, your department will be well-positioned to evidence rich, meaningful impact for REF 2029.
Policy Connect can provide the following elements, either stand-alone or as part of a programme:
Partnership programmes can be tailored to emphasise particular components over others, depending on the need of academic institutions, departments or particular cohorts. Individual components can also be booked separately, either as one-off sessions or series of sessions/combinations.
Policy Connect offers opportunities for individuals to gain direct experience of the policy process through secondments and PhD placements. These roles allow researchers and professionals to work closely with our policy teams, contribute to live projects, and develop a deeper understanding of how evidence informs decision making in Parliament and beyond.
We regularly host PhD students through Doctoral Training Partnerships, providing structured placements that support both academic development and policy impact. Participants gain hands on experience in research, stakeholder engagement, and policy communication, while bringing valuable subject expertise to our work.
For organisations seeking to build capacity or strengthen links with policymakers, secondments and placements offer a practical way to develop skills, embed insight, and create long-term relationships. By working with us, secondees and students can apply their knowledge in a real policy environment and help drive forward meaningful change.
Policy Connect can work with you to strengthen funding proposals by providing dedicated policy engagement expertise. We support bids as co investigators, or by delivering the policy engagement components that funders increasingly expect, such as events, research, communications, and training on effective policy engagement.
We have supported several partners in securing successful bids, including the ImprovE-ACT project with Manchester Metropolitan University, demonstrating our ability to contribute to strong proposals with clear and credible pathways to policy impact.
Our team helps you demonstrate a clear route to impact by identifying relevant stakeholders, shaping engagement plans, and designing activities that translate research into real policy influence. Whether you need a partner to convene discussions in Parliament, produce targeted policy outputs, or build the skills of your project team, we bring practical experience and a strong track record of delivering high-quality engagement.
By collaborating with us at the bid stage, you can ensure your proposal includes a compelling and achievable policy pathway that enhances its competitiveness and maximises the potential impact of your work.
Adam Bond, Head of Major Projects and Partnerships, University of Sheffield“We were very pleased with the five workshops Policy Connect developed and ran for the University, which included opportunities to hear from MPs and Peers. Attendees gave positive feedback on their experience, such as the inclusion of real-life examples to illustrate points.”
Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Derby“We have valued our partnership with Policy Connect by contributing our research to their impactful policy reports. We are now very much looking forward to University of Derby’s wider academic research teams gaining practical understanding of the policy world through a series of workshops so their work can gain even greater impact.”
Dr Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg, former Research Impact and Knowledge Senior Manager, Open University“We received excellent feedback from our academic staff who participated in the policy impact workshop. It really helped colleagues develop practical ideas and give them the confidence to engage with policy makers about their research.”
