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The Institute for Policy’s First Year in Review: Shaping Change through World Leading Research
2025-12-18
By Dr Jack Willoughby, Policy Manager Institute for Policy and Professor Neil A. Chakraborti, Director of the Centre for Hate Studies and Professor in Criminology
It may appear unusual to reflect on the last year with some sense of positivity amidst what many in the sector would view as Higher Education’s ‘annus horribilis’. Looking back a year on from our Westminster launch however, we can take great pride in the journey we have been on at the Institute for Policy, and in the growth and opportunities we have helped forge for our research to have policy impact.
Connecting research evidence with the policy domain
Putting the University’s research evidence on the policy map has been central to our mission, and the value of that endeavour has never been more acutely felt. In a world beset by urgent challenges to our health, our safety, our climate and our economies, academic research has a key role to play in shaping evidence-based policy responses, rather than political opportunism or short-termism. At a regional, national and global level policymakers have been keen to clarify their priorities and direction, and we, in turn, have sought to position the university’s research in this context.
With this in mind, we have sought to refine our evidence into outputs that address the immediate needs of our policymaker audience. Our briefing paper series has enabled researchers to communicate the policy implications of their research succinctly, accessibly and to fresh audiences, whilst our mission documents have detailed how the University’s work contributes to each of the government’s five missions. Our in-person engagements likewise have focused on those policy asks, facilitating effective pathways for sustainable policy impact. Our listening events have enabled our research experts to collaborate with local and national policymakers and key sector leaders to respond to specific policy challenges, whether in Parliament, in local communities or within specific sectors. At this year’s Labour Conference, we worked alongside our University’s Public Affairs team to deliver five major panel sessions, each dedicated to a different government mission. Demonstrating the value of our research in these contexts has been important in showcasing the University of Leicester’s commitment to evidence-based policy outcomes, and in presenting an alternative narrative of the sector to the perpetual doom spiral.
Supporting our research community
The demand for research evidence from policymakers is ever growing, and so we have sought to boost the confidence and proficiency of our researchers in this environment. This year we launched our Policy Masterclass series, which has been excellently attended and warmly received by researchers across the University, providing them with the ultimate ‘How to’ guide to engaging with policy. We continue to support researchers by connecting them with opportunities to engage with Parliament, policy think tanks and local authorities, and by providing tailored guidance to colleagues across all stages of the career ladder.
This year we have seen policy impact become an increasingly significant feature in funding opportunities, not least within URKI, who have appointed challenge directors dedicated to each of the government missions. There is now a greater expectation for research projects to embed policy throughout the lifecycle of a research project, rather than treating it as an afterthought, and our work at the Institute for Policy acknowledges this shift by providing our research community with support and insights. This year, we have been delighted to support grant applications from increasing numbers of researchers across all four Colleges by strengthening their pathways to policy impact, and in so doing maximising their chances of success.
Over the course of the year, we have engaged with a wide range of policy stakeholders, including MPs, civil servants and thought leaders. These engagements reinforced the sobering scale of the short- and longer-term challenges facing our society, and no sectors are immune from these difficulties, least of all higher education. However, the foundations that we have laid this year make us well placed to anticipate the challenges that lie ahead, and to ensure that the University of Leicester’s research has a key role to play in generating a more hopeful vision of the future.