Dr Daniel Fountain tells us about the development of “Queerly Made”, which explores the legacy of craft in the LGBTQ+ communities, and looks at tackling the challenges of underrepresentation in national craft collections. Support from our Engaged and Participatory Research Fund has helped bring this subject to new audiences through workshops and exhibitions in the Tees Valley.
Highlights from the ESRC Festival of Social Science
Each year, the Festival of Social Science invites researchers in the social sciences to test out small-scale events that help to bring their work to new audiences, and showcase the importance of social science research to the world in which we live. Read on to hear more about past activities, and how people can get involved in the festival.
Celebrating our Engaged and Participatory Research Fund Awardees
For the last few years, our Engaged and Participatory Research (E&PR) Fund has aimed to facilitate connections between researchers and partners external to the university. On the 15th June, we invited our 2024-5 and 2025-6 cohorts to join us for a special event, sharing findings and best practice, and celebrating their fantastic achievements from the course of their projects.
Top Tips for Public Engagement with Research
With the 2025-26 academic term coming to an end, we wanted to reflect on the findings from this year’s Public Engagement with Research drop-in programme. This blog breaks down these sessions into key findings researchers can use in their public engagement work.
Understanding Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement
What do we mean by Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE), and how can researchers and members of the public participate? Find out more about the opportunities for PPIE at the University, and how our researchers are collaborating with patients and the public.
NIHR Team Science Award: Building Research On Climate-smart Care for Optimising Lifelong health Impacts for women (Team BROCCOLI)
The latest of our blog posts from this year’s funding cohort features Dr Dorothea Miranda Geddes-Barton who highlights the importance of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) in her work, engaging with diverse perspectives in preparation for an NIHR Team Science Application.
Somerscience 2026: The Importance of STEM in Somerset and the South West
The recent Somerscience Festival, hosted at Bath and West Showground over the May bank holiday, invited researchers and industry experts to celebrate the value of STEM in the South West, with this year’s event featuring teams from the University of Exeter’s Department of Biosciences and Living Systems Institute.
Community Consultation for the Research Design of Practice-based, Participatory Action Research PhD Project
Yudi Wu, PhD student in the Department of Communications, Drama and Film gives an insight into their experience engaging with the public as part of their research project, establishing relationships with participants and navigating these to ensure those who contribute to a research project can be most effectively supported throughout.
Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement
Engage is the biannual conference hosted by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement. This year, the conference was attended by our Engaged Research Manager, Dr Dreolin Fleischer, and Catherine Hurcombe, Regional Engagement Assistant, to explore the changing landscape of engaged research, and how now more than ever, co-production and engagement with new audiences is vital.
Health and Wellbeing Research: Matchmaking for VCSE and Academic Partners
In partnership with Devon Community Foundation, the University recently hosted a researcher-voluntary sector ‘matchmaking’ event. This half-day event, funded by the Devon Research Engagement Network, under the umbrella of the Torbay, Plymouth and Devon VCSE Assembly, invited those with an interest in applied health and wellbeing research to connect, and spark ideas for collaboration.