PCER Digest

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Latest News

30 June 2025 - Notes on a Learning Partnership - Public and Community Engagement with Research Fund 

Charlotte Ravenscroft, the learning partner from Lucent Consulting for the PCER Fund, shares her thoughts on what a learning partnership is and how it has been utilised with the PCER Fund. 

Read Lucent's approach to learning partnerships

26 June 2025 - Engagement and Impact Community of Practice Meeting (11 June 2025) 

The Engagement and Impact Community of Practice, part of Research Services’ Research and Innovation Support Network (RISN) at the University, had their final meeting for the 2024-25 academic year on 11 June at University Club.

Professional Services staff working in engagement and impact from across the University gathered to discuss topics in an Open Space session, with members leading conversations around local partnerships, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), valuing engagement practice and practitioners, and more.

There was also plenty of time for networking and continuing to share ideas over lunch. We enjoyed connecting with colleagues in a relaxed setting, celebrating successes and identifying opportunities for ongoing collaboration.

Feedback from our attendees highlights the value in sharing experience and expertise, as well as dedicated time to catch up with colleagues informally.

If you are a Professional Services staff at the University and would like to join the Engagement and Impact RISN Community of Practice, join RISN MS Teams and head to the Engagement and Impact CoP channel (both behind SSO).

18 June 2025 - Have your say in our monthly pulse check!  

We’re inviting you to answer this month’s ‘pulse check’ - a quick set of questions designed to capture your experience of engagement at Oxford. With just three short questions, it’ll only take a few moments of your time, but your insights are invaluable.

Anyone involved in Public and Community Engagement with Research (PCER) at the University of Oxford – whether you're a researcher or a professional services colleague – is welcome to take part.

This month’s questions invite you to share recent positive experiences and explore how you show the difference your engagement makes.

Help us celebrate your small (or big!) wins. All responses are anonymous, but if you'd like to be credited, drop us a line at [email protected].

Complete the pulse check survey – share your thoughts.

12 June 2025 - Trinity PEFN Meeting Summary (10 June 2025)

The Public Engagement Facilitators’ Network (PEFN) is a University-wide network for professional services staff and researchers supporting Public and Community Engagement with Research (PCER). Launched in 2021, it offers a collaborative space to share learning, develop practice, and connect across disciplines.

The Trinity term meeting took place on 10 June via MS Teams, featuring speakers from across the University who shared insights on engagement, evaluation, and impact.

• Emma Sarcol (PCER Manager, Innovation & Engagement Team, Research Services) introduced the Difference Framework – a tool for planning, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting engagement activities. It offers a clear thread from early thinking through to evidencing the 'so what' of your engagement. Download the Difference Framework.
• Dr Anne Mortimer (Research Evaluation Lead, Research Strategy & Policy Unit) gave an overview of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and its relevance to PCER. She emphasised the importance of robust evaluation in developing strong REF case studies, particularly in demonstrating benefits or changes beyond academia. Anne advised colleagues to maintain good records and explore the Symplectic Elements impact module (SSO required). New guidance on how engagement and impact will be assessed is expected in early autumn 2025 – updates will be shared via RISN.
• Dr Michaela Livingstone-Banks (Head of PCER, MPLS) shared guidance on including public engagement with research in grant applications. Michaela outlined the benefits of costing PER into proposals, what funders are looking for, practical approaches to planning and budgeting engagement activities, and the valuable support PER Facilitators can offer.

We also launched a new Agony Aunt slot – a space for questions and updates. Rachel Piper (Community Engagement Coordinator, Innovation & Engagement Team) shared news on finance-related projects and Customer Relationship Management developments.

Missed it? Read the slides (SSO required) or Join the PEF Network MS Teams Channel (SSO required).

02 June 2025 - Vice-Chancellor's Awards 2025

Congratulations to all the teams and individuals nominated in the 2025 awards.

In the Research Engagement Award, the winner was ‘Engaging stakeholders to build a Kenyan learning system’, with ‘Improving the lives of disadvantaged children in Peru’ highly commended.

The winner of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for outstanding contribution was “Uncovering Oxfordshire’s ‘dinosaur highway’”.

After an Oxfordshire quarry worker stumbled upon dinosaur footprints, Oxford University Museum of Natural History sprang into action, spearheading an intense seven-day excavation. This uncovered the world’s fifth-longest dinosaur trackway, with 200 footprints meticulously documented for research. Through global media outreach, events, and exhibitions, public excitement was sparked worldwide.

Find out more about all the winners of the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards 2025

27 May 2025 - The Fans’ Stories – Call the Midwife

Building on the success of Tales from Call the Midwife to mark the BBC’s centenary in 2022, Dr Alice Watson has once again teamed up with the BBC on a special follow-on project exploring Call the Midwife fandom.

In this brand new co-produced video series, Alice explores how audiences engage with, and express their passion for, Call the Midwife beyond simply watching the show. She does so by speaking with 6 fans from across the UK who have been inspired to engage in diverse creative activities and practices, from collecting memorabilia and recording spin-off podcasts to knitting dolls of favourite characters and designing intricate cross-stitch patterns. Alice captures their stories, objects, and artefacts, and delves deeper into the motivations behind and significance of their Call the Midwife fandom.

This project forms part of Alice’s collaborative research with the BBC exploring the power and impact of public service broadcasting on audiences.

The project builds on the AHRC-funded project 'Tales from Call the Midwife' - a co-produced 28-part podcast for the BBC's centenary in 2022, featuring fans who remembered, lived through, or had been touched by the drama's storylines, from Down's syndrome and adoption to miscarriage and alcoholism: Tales from Call the Midwife - Canvas (bbcrewind.co.uk)

Together, these two public-engagement projects showcase impactful work within cultural geography and highlight the value and potential of collaborating with major cultural partners, such as the BBC. They also demonstrate the power of popular culture to affect, empower, and make a difference to audiences watching, and uncover the ways in which viewers can become creators, artists, and storytellers in their own right.

19 May 2025 - Find out about a PCER Fund project connecting research, practice and youth voices on online misogyny 

Funded by the Public and Community Engagement with Research (PCER) Fund in 2024/25, Research to Action: Tackling Online Misogyny is a collaborative project between members of Oxford’s Ethox Centre and Beyond Equality, an NGO engaging with men and boys for gender equality. Over a series of events, the project aims to create opportunities for engagement between research, practice, and the experiences and views of young people in order to improve our approaches to working with men and boys to address the growing culture of online misogyny.

Our first online event brought together over 100 researchers and youth practitioners – including teachers, youth justice officers, health workers, social workers, youth workers, advocates and more – for a panel and plenary discussion drawing out diverse experiences, perspectives, and expertise on the issue of online misogyny. Key concerns raised included the normalisation of misogynistic content among young people, its rapid evolution, and questions about where responsibility lies.

We then explored these issues further with the NeurOx Young Person’s Advisory Group in a participatory workshop, where members shared their views and co-created priority messages for adults and institutions. These included rising ‘victim-blaming’ online, the ease of bypassing bans, and the need for more open conversations with parents and teachers.

Our final online event will showcase the results of the participatory workshop, using this to stimulate discussion amongst researcher and practitioner stakeholders as to best approaches to tackling online misogyny with young men and boys, and the priorities for further research and collaboration between us, in the form of a lasting community of practice.

For further information, please contact Jennifer Roest (Ethox Centre).

Find out more about the PCER Fund.

13 May 2025 - Community Connections with Research Open Space: What opportunities do we have to collaborate on research projects?

Tuesday 8 July, 1000 – 1400 hrs  | Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, Oxford City Centre   

We are inviting community groups and University of Oxford researchers & public engagement colleagues to come together at our Community Connections with Research Open Space.

You're invited to bring along topics or projects you’d like to discuss. Our theme is “What opportunities do we have to collaborate on research projects?”

You may have answers to that question in the form of projects you’ve been working on for a while, or fresh new ideas on which you want other people’s input. You may even have more questions! All of this is very welcome at the event.

We will break off into small groups to have conversations on these topics. It’ll be a chance to learn from others’ work and to network and build relationships.

We have some budget for supporting those for whom there may be a financial barrier to attend – please see our Eventbrite page for more information on bursaries.

We will be running a poster exhibition during the lunchtime slot, if you’d like to submit a poster about a community engaged research project, please let us know on your sign-up form (or send us an email – [email protected])

Find out more and sign up on Eventbrite.

07 May 2025 - PCER's Latest Sessions on Funding and Evaluation

Throughout March, April and May, the Public and Community Engagement with Research (PCER) team delivered a series of impactful sessions to strengthen engagement practice across the University. Sessions on Funding Public & Community Engagement brought together researchers and professional services staff to raise awareness of the PCER Fund. The sessions took place in the divisions and covered the PCER Fund application process, featured insights from previously funded researchers, and offered practical tips for writing strong, impact-driven proposals.

More information about the PCER Fund: next application deadline is 19 May 2025.

On 1 May, the team hosted an online Difference Framework Workshop. The interactive session introduced participants to the Difference Framework – a practical tool for planning, evaluating, and reporting engagement activities. Attendees explored how engagement creates meaningful change for communities, researchers, and research, and reflected on the importance of evaluation for learning, improvement, and storytelling. These events supported the PCER team’s continued efforts to embed engagement more deeply across the University.

Find out about the Difference Framework.

28 April 2025 - New PCER Branding resources available

Engagement at Oxford includes diverse activities with different audiences, purposes, and methods. We uphold responsible, purposeful, and ethical engagement.

Our visual identity aims to highlight this work and help people identify those who are doing public and community engagement with research.

Explore and download the assets to get started (Internal only - SSO required).

22 April 2025 - New PCER Resources available

We're pleased to share three new documents that complement the PCER Strategy and help bring its priorities to life:

• Newly designed PCER Strategy pdf - Presents the strategy in an engaging format, making it easier to navigate and understand.
• Annex A - Context and Case Studies - Offers a series of case studies illustrating the diverse ways in which PCER activity is taking shape across the University.
• PCER Strategy Poster - A quick reference guide that visually summarises the key elements of the strategy. 

09 April 2025 - “We are all mutants” - Engaging A-Level Biology students with ethics and genomics

This week, we heard from Anne Goriely, Professor of Human Genetics at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM) and her team about their recent work with A-level students in Southport. This work was funded by the Enriching Engagement grant scheme, a Welcome Trust funding scheme managed by our team in Public and Community Engagement with Research.

The workshop engaged A-Level Biology students with ethical questions around genomic testing in newborns. Read about their experience and watch the animation they have created here: "We Are All Mutants" — MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine

02 April 2025 - MORU-Oxford Engagement Meeting

On 27 March, members of the Public and Community Engagement with Research (PCER) team met with colleagues from the MORU Major International Programme, and other engagement colleagues from the University of Oxford. The session focused on sharing strategies for community engagement, evaluating engagement, and exploring opportunities for future collaboration.

"It was great to meet the PCER team in person and learn more about the new University strategy. We all share a passion for involving communities in research, supporting and stewarding engagement activities - I was particularly fond of this phrase - and evaluation frameworks. It was no surprise that time flew by, and we are looking forward to continuing our discussions and share our learning." (Dr Anne Osterrieder, Engagement Evaluation and Learning Lead, Bioethics and Engagement, MORU)

MORU’s mission is to improve health and wellbeing in low-resource settings, with community engagement at its core. The MORU Bioethics and Engagement team facilitates a dynamic community and public engagement programme, ensuring that research remains responsive to local needs and cultural contexts. At the heart of this programme is a growing network of seven advisory boards, many of which include members from underserved communities. Researchers regularly meet with these boards to seek guidance on research and health initiatives. The MORU team also presented their long-term engagement strategy for 2025-2032, which includes capacity-building activities, involving communities in research and co-creating communication materials with them, and evaluating the impact of MORU engagement activities.

These efforts align with the PCER team’s strategic objectives to integrate engagement into research and work closely with communities affected by research, ensuring their voices shape the process.

To learn more about MORU’s work, watch their latest Community Advisory Board video, explore their website, or view their brochure Working with communities, advisory groups, policy makers and partners.

24 March 2025 - PCER Fund awardees: Hilary Term 2025

The Hilary term round of the PCER Fund is complete and we’re pleased to introduce our latest awardees.

This term we received 21 proposals for funding to carry out public and community engagement with research activities. These went through a rigorous review process and we were delighted to fund 11 projects from across the University.

Meet our awardees here and read about their work.

The next opportunity to apply for funding is the Trinity term deadline on 19 May. You can read more about the PCER Fund here and apply.

15 January 2025 - PCER Fund announcement

We’re delighted to announce the awardees of the PCER Fund’s Michaelmas term round.

We received a number of high-quality applications to carry out a wide variety public and community engagement with research activities. Applications spanned divisions and disciplines, with planned activities taking place here in Oxford, across the UK and internationally. We were pleased to receive applications from researchers and public engagement professionals with varying levels of experience. Thank you to all who applied.

Meet our awardees and read about their projects.

If you're a researcher or public engagement professional interested in funding for public and community engagement activities learn more about the PCER Fund and apply.

09 December  2024 - Enter the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards now

We encourage colleagues across the university to enter the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards 2025.

The awards recognise the achievements and celebrate success across the collegiate University, from academics and researchers to professional, technical and support staff.

The winners will be announced at a special ceremony hosted by the Vice-Chancellor at the Sheldonian Theatre in May.

Nominations will close at noon on Monday 3 February 2025. Find out more on the Vice-Chancellor’s Awards page.

02 December 2024 - PCER Strategy 2024-2029 Launch 

The University of Oxford’s Public and Community Engagement with Research Strategy for 2024-2029 has been launched online. We would like to thank colleagues from across the University, communities affected by our work and thought leaders in Higher Education for their invaluable contributions.

Join our launch event on 28 February 2025 at Reuben College to learn about our ambitions to nurture the internal environment through defining, integrating, connecting, and stewarding engagement. This will help us improve our practice in engaging with communities responsibly. If you would like to attend, please register your interest for the strategy launch event.