Breaking down barriers: A civil servant's perspective on research engagement

This post is part of a matched pair exploring different perspectives on the same researcher-policymaker exchange. Natassia, a Policy Manager at the Scottish Government, participated in the Connects-UK Science Ambassador Programme and was paired with Monserrat Guilherme Conde, a researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences. Read Monserrat's perspective on the same exchange to see how the experience looked from the researcher's side. 
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‘Is the university and research system working’ this is the main question I grapple with as a Policy Manager responsible for the Scottish Government’s overall domestic policies on university research and knowledge exchange.  

It’s a question that many in the sector are probably asking, leading them down a rabbit hole of follow-up questions: ‘what about researchers’, ‘is it as bad as the sectoral news outlets are saying to be in a research career’, ‘how research support government priorities’, and ‘how do we ask for government help’. On and on it goes.  

The obvious solution would be to talk to a researcher directly, but that’s easier said than done amid the hustle and bustle of everyday work.   

Then the Connects-UK Science Ambassador Programme appeared in my inbox, shared by my manager who knows about my desire to talk to people on the ground and my interest in international policy. I quickly submitted an application, hoping to answer some of those endless questions and – perhaps selfishly – to make connections with very knowledgeable people and try something different.  

To my delight, I was accepted onto the programme and paired with Monserrat.  

This did bring with it some initial worries and assumptions. Regarding the worries,  given Monserrat’s specialism in primary healthcare, I wondered whether I could be helpful to her, whether it was the best connection, even whether I might I bore her! (The everyday life of civil service is mainly responding to emails and writing briefs in a very carefully worded manner).  

Also, having made the switch from international higher education and research policy to domestic policy in the last year – moving from Horizon Europe to daily work with UKRI and other funder’s – I also wondered whether I am the best person to be an ambassador for Scottish Government in an EU-focused programme. As for my assumptions: given that University of Oxford is one of the leading UK universities, I questioned whether my concerns were even relevant or comparable to challenges across the rest of the UK.  

Fortunately, I was worried for no reason. Monserrat was very interested in what I did in the Scottish Government and I was able to facilitate connections between her and colleagues in healthcare policy which will hopefully further support her and their work. Additionally, Monserrat and her colleagues took the time to understand what I shared about government needs from researcher and how to engage with us.  

This included key insights: we have limited time, so it’s important to tailor your engagement and remember that civil servants and ministers are simply other humans looking to make progress as well. This engagement between us truly demonstrated a real desire to build connections and relationships across wide and specific government and research remits to help each other reach a common goal – to serve society. 

Speaking to researchers and professional staff at all career stages at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences also highlighted the similarities across the UK university and research system. Beyond the league tables and competitive rhetoric, we’re very much all in the same boat. In government and across institutions, we’re all seeking new ways to achieve sustainability, figuring how we can ensure the next Research Excellence Framework is fit for purpose, and exploring how to leverage our research strengths for real-world social, economic and environmental impact.  

There are some nuances: for example, the Oxford focus strongly on research culture at a divisional level, whilst Scottish universities approach this institutionally. The smaller number of universities in Scotland also makes it is easier for them to reach collective agreements.  

There was a real sense, from the exchange, that regardless of national, regional, institutional and government-academic boundaries, we all want to work together and collaborate. Enabling us to facilitate not just knowledge exchange in our research or policy niches, but to go beyond transactional engagements – to reach a place where academia and government can inform each other of our insights and needs in a more natural, informal manner, much like an old friendship.  

So, don’t be afraid to reach out government directly – whether that’s emailing us or speaking to us at events. We are all ears when it comes to other perspectives and ideas and might be able to help you understand where we might be coming from. This creates opportunities to share challenges or barriers both sectors face. Your fresh insights might prompt us to rethink a policy approach, while we can explain policies develop om certain ways due to established governance and processes.  

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for formal channels, which are often the gateway to developing ongoing relationships. Whether it’s through networks within your institution (such as Oxford’s Policy Engagement Network – OPEN), consultation, existing frameworks across the governments and funders (which my colleagues at Scottish Government have helpfully developed a factsheet on for ourselves: Academic engagement: factsheet - gov.scot), or programmes such as this one hosted by Connects-UK – there are a number of established forums to start linking up with government.  

Having sung the virtues of building relationships, my main takeaway is the need to personally make space and time to connect with the research sector. For me, this means pushing myself and my colleagues to spend more time outside the open plan office – attending workshops, lectures, symposiums, and seizing relevant opportunities as they arise.  

And I’d also like to make more opportunities to invite researchers and research professionals to the Scottish Government, facilitating platforms for them to share their insights. This could help highlight the similar opportunities and challenges facing both Scottish and the UK higher education systems, and more broadly the shared challenges between government and universities. It would also emphasise both sectors mission-led approach to make progress.  

As for those questions that I posed at the start: I certainly got answers, but I also recognise that the responses will inevitably change overtime in our ever-evolving sector. The only way for civil servants, like myself, to stay informed about emerging areas and provide effective support is through consistent outreach – and the same applies to the research community.