Institute for Policy and Engagement

Welcome to the Institute for Policy and Engagement

The Institute connects Nottingham's world-leading researchers with the public and policymakers to share insight and solve problems. We work with academic experts from across the university who want to create real impact by providing training, advice and expertise.

Through these partnerships we will tackle together the most compelling challenges locally, nationally and globally.

University of Nottingham staff member? Discover more about the training and support we offer via our SharePoint site

Latest news

We are celebrating another incredible event as Science in the Park 2025 fulfilled its promise to be bigger and better than ever! Organised by the Institute for Policy and Engagement in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University and Wollaton Hall, this annual festival has become one of Nottingham's most anticipated events and this year once again showed clearly why that is.

Science in the Park 2025 built on the success of previous years, bringing an exciting blend of returning favourites and brand-new exhibits designed to inspire curiosity and ignite a love for STEM. Wollaton Hall was once again transformed into a vibrant hub of scientific discovery, offering hands-on experiences, live demonstrations, and engaging conversations with scientists and researchers.

Event banner with the event title, date and location above the logos of the key partners and a graphic showing icons representing science and research in a large thought cloud

The Institute and the University of Nottingham attended Evidence Week in Parliament in January 2025, hosted by Sense about Science and the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), in partnership with the House of Commons Library, the House of Lords Library, the UK Statistics Authority, Ipsos and research institutions across the UK.

Institute representatives joined Sharmila Sumsurooah (Assistant Professor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering) and Samir Mamun (Zero Carbon Cluster communications lead) to engage with the public, other researchers and parliamentarians on how evidence is used in Parliament, as well as to share their new policy brief deidcated to electrifying air travel - one of the highest carbon footprint industries.

The policy brief and broader work within the Zero Carbon Cluster sits alongside broader Institute projects, including our SHAping Sustainable Futures research hub. Find out more about what we do on our projects page.

Read the full policy brief on Electrifying Air Travel here