Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) helps research inform government decision-making. We connect the policy community with researchers and evidence from universities across the UK, creating the right systems so researchers and policymakers can work better together.
We are a UK-wide network of universities, research institutions, and policy organisations. UPEN is co-chaired by UCL and the Universities of Huddersfield and Leeds. With staff distributed across the UK and a core team based at UCL, we deliver a range of programmes, events, and services to strengthen academic-policy engagement.
130
Members in our network
6
Communities of Practice focused on key areas in academic-policy engagement
3
Areas of Focus: people, place, practice
For universities
UPEN is your dedicated network for policy engagement. We offer a collaborative community where you can learn from peers, connect with policy opportunities, events and training, and test new approaches to help the policy community and researchers work better together.
UPEN offers a crucial leadership role and service in the UK’s research and innovation system, increasing the impact of research on public policy. UPEN is very well connected across both universities and the policy world and is therefore extremely well placed to act as a broker, spotting opportunities for research to have impact.
James CantonDeputy Director of Public Policy and Engagement, ESRC, 2022 UPEN Impact Report
UPEN is a unique and crucial space for convening the academic-policy engagement community across the UK, and SPRE has benefitted greatly from relationships, collaborations and learning through its membership and leadership roles in the EDI Subcommittee and Executive Committee. The recent and ongoing organisational changes and ambitions are a welcome move for ensuring that UPEN remains well-placed to support the diverse needs of the dynamic and complex UK research ecosystem.
Dave BlackbellCo-director of the Scottish Policy and Research Exchange (SPRE)
