Investing in Engagement
How long term-funding leads to impactful research
Well-funded engagement enables the development of long-term, mutually beneficial relationships which are essential for continually improving, progressive programmes that result in an engaged research culture and impactful research.
Foreword
Public engagement is not simply an add-on to our research—it is fundamental to making our research better. When we actively engage with communities, patients, schools, and diverse audiences, we gain invaluable insights that shape our research questions, inform our methodologies, and ensure our findings have genuine societal relevance.
The public engagement funding we received from Wellcome through our Centre Award in 2017 has been nothing short of transformative. With 10% of our Centre budget ringfenced for public engagement, we moved from ad hoc activities funded from researchers' own pockets to a strategic, sustainable approach. This generous support allowed us to appoint dedicated engagement staff, build lasting partnerships, and create ambitious projects like our 'Your Amazing Brain' exhibition and 'SHElock' escape room that would have been impossible with piecemeal funding.
The case studies in this report demonstrate what effective engagement really takes: long-term commitment, trust, and genuine partnership. From our multi-year collaboration with Banbury Museum & Gallery to our ongoing work with schools and community organisations, these examples showcase how meaningful engagement deepens over time and evolves through mutual understanding. We share these examples in the hope that others in the higher education community can learn from our journey and see the tangible benefits of embedding engagement strategically within their institutions.
Essential to our success has been buy-in from all levels of seniority within our Centre. From our Public Engagement Ambassadors programme that trains researchers and core staff each year, to hands-on involvement from senior leadership in both strategic planning and delivery, engagement has become one of our four core values. This institutional commitment—recognised through our NCCPE Engage Watermark Silver Award—has been critical to creating a culture where engagement flourishes.
We are indebted to our partners: external advisory board members, museums including Banbury and Discover Bucks, schools such as Sarah Bonnell School in East London, and community organisations including African Families in the UK and the Oxford Asian Cultural Centre. Their expertise and collaboration has made our engagement richer and more effective and has improved the impact and relevance of our research. We also thank Wellcome for their innovative funding approach that recognised engagement as essential infrastructure for excellent research.
As David Lloyd George observed, "You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." Our eight years as a Wellcome Centre show that sustained, secure funding for engagement enables the step-change needed for research to have real societal impact.
As I hand over to a new Director, and as we move forward with our new name - the Oxford Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (OxCIN) - I look forward to continued commitment to engaged research at the Centre. The team will continue to nurture relationships with partner organisations, involve a wider diversity of people in our research, and support our members to embed engagement in the research they do.
Heidi Johansen-Berg
Director, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN) 2017-2025
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