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.
Well-Funded Engagement
The Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN) was formed in 2017 with a generous Centre Award from Wellcome. Consistent with Wellcome’s strategy at the time, 10% of the Centre budget was ringfenced for public engagement.
Before the Centre Award, our engagement happened on an ad hoc basis, often limited to schools where individual researchers had children, and expenses were usually paid by the researchers themselves or covered by small amounts of money from Departments. The science content was generally limited to the specific interests of the researchers rather than tailored to the needs of the audience or incorporating the breadth of our research, and there was little opportunity for proactive engagement.
Wellcome’s funding allowed us to be more strategic in our approach to engagement. This resulted in:
• A greater and more diverse set of stakeholders
• Longer-term projects with mutually beneficial impact on us, our partners, and our audiences.
• Building up knowledge and expertise in all aspects of engagement practice.
• Systematic evaluation of our strategy and activities (supported by an external evaluation consultant), resulting in continually improving activities and support for researchers while also tracking progress towards our strategic engagement goals.
Having dedicated engagement staff allows for the continuity needed for relationship building with many types of stakeholders. It also allows acquisition of institutional knowledge and expertise in effective engagement practice, which enables researchers to incorporate the highest quality engagement in their own research without the need to reinvent the wheel.
Building a Skilled Team
The original engagement budget (£632k for 5 years) came with very few stipulations from Wellcome, giving us the flexibility to spend it when and where it had the biggest impact. It afforded us funds for dedicated engagement staff, training for staff and researchers, a generous activity budget that meant researchers and staff were able to consolidate learning through practise, and a thorough evaluation programme to further support improvement.
The appointment of a dedicated Public Engagement Coordinator in 2017 marked a significant shift in our engagement capabilities. Having specialised staff meant researchers could focus on their research while still participating meaningfully in engagement activities. The coordinator role went beyond simple administration, building expertise and relationships that benefited the entire Centre. This role provided crucial support in developing researcher ideas, delivering training, and managing complex logistics for events.
As our engagement activities grew, we recognised that staff capacity, rather than activity funding, was our primary limitation. In response, we expanded the team in 2020, adding a Public Engagement Officer position. This expansion allowed us to balance strategic planning with the practical management of numerous partnerships and activities, while maintaining high standards of delivery.
The expanded team brought complementary skills that enhanced our engagement capabilities. We could now effectively manage event planning, staff training, relationship building with schools and museums, and coordination with various professional services. Perhaps most importantly, the dedicated team could identify and foster collaborative opportunities between researchers, leading to richer and more impactful engagement activities.
Taking a Strategic Approach
To achieve maximum impact from our funding, we developed a public engagement strategy centred around informing and inspiring under-served audiences, incorporating public input to enhance our research, and build a growing number of skilled engagers among staff and researchers across the Centre. We focused on reaching beyond traditional audiences and research topics, particularly aiming to connect with those outside central Oxford who might not typically seek out science engagement.
The success of our strategic approach also benefits enormously from strong institutional support. Engagement was established as one of WIN's four core values (and remains a core principle at OxCIN), with visible commitment from senior leadership. The Centre Director, Heidi Johansen-Berg, exemplifies this commitment through her active involvement in both hands-on activities and strategic planning.
Central to implementing this strategy was our Public Engagement Ambassadors programme, which built capacity by training cohorts of Centre researchers and core staff each year. This approach helped create a culture where engagement became an integral part of our identity.