{"id":1499,"date":"2026-05-12T09:07:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/?p=1499"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:07:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:07:30","slug":"engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE)<\/a> provide strategic support and training for those looking to generate impactful research informed by public involvement. As well as highlighting the NCCPE\u2019s own projects, such as their successful Engaged Futures<\/a> scheme, and Watermark<\/a> awards, the two-day event invited specialists from the Community and Higher Education sectors to share their insights on what the future holds for collaborative research. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
\n

Plenary talks and small-group discussions demonstrated a feeling of uncertainty and precarity in the field of public engagement, with many organisations looking to the future and imagining the role of engaged research in the wake of the pressures in Higher Education. Yet there was a clear sense of hope. Case studies showcased work from the UK and beyond, such as University spin-outs, the development of strategies for community-based learning, reports, toolkits, and funding schemes. There were opportunities for attendees to brainstorm their own innovative engagement activity, map the future of engaged research, and explore how to become an engaged leader. These projects highlighted the power of collaboration for ensuring research reaches and responds to new audiences, exemplifying the value of engaged research, even when it cannot easily be quantified. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
\n

The conference provided a\u00a0showcase\u00a0to highlight the culmination of a project commissioned by the University of Exeter alongside\u00a0six other\u00a0Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). Public Engagement Professionals (PEPs) from\u00a0the Universities of Bath, Bristol,\u00a0Exeter,\u00a0Leeds and Plymouth, Imperial College London, and King\u2019s College London meet regularly\u00a0to share\u00a0how they manage their respective\u00a0Participatory Research Fund\u00a0allocations\u00a0from Research\u00a0England.\u00a0The network commissioned\u00a0Dom Galliano to conduct\u00a0evidence\u00a0gathering and synthesis\u00a0to examine\u00a0the importance of\u00a0PEPs\u00a0in\u00a0managing funds like these.\u00a0Dom\u00a0was able to highlight the\u00a0project during a five-minute \u2018lightning talk\u2019,\u00a0effectively signposting\u00a0people to the\u00a0full\u00a0report and accompanying infographic\u00a0hosted on Exeter\u2019s PER website.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the second day of the conference showcased the work of the FUTURES consortium<\/a>, encompassing the Universities of Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Plymouth, and Bath Spa University. Their poster reflected on the FUTURES Festival of Discovery, a scheme that for several years, offered a hub of creative public engagement activity in sites across the South West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the 2026 Engage Summit presented a cautiously optimistic view of the future: one where public engagement looks towards innovation and creativity to move forward, and space is created for inclusive and meaningful research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2305,"featured_media":1505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEngage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-12T09:07:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-12T09:07:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"789\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Catherine H\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Catherine H\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/\",\"name\":\"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-12T09:07:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-12T09:07:30+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":789},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/\",\"name\":\"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570\",\"name\":\"Catherine H\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Catherine H\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/author\/ch1187\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","og_description":"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.","og_url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/","og_site_name":"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","article_published_time":"2026-05-12T09:07:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-12T09:07:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":789,"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Catherine H","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Catherine H","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/","name":"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement - Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-12T09:07:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-12T09:07:30+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg","width":1280,"height":789},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/2026\/05\/12\/engage-summit-2026-looking-to-the-future-of-public-engagement\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Engage Summit 2026: Looking to the Future of Public Engagement"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/","name":"Public Engagement with Research (PER) at the University of Exeter","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/ea977a7e4e9049adf0cb92b1f039e570","name":"Catherine H","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a475a21fdb3e80f287334528e4f5164f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Catherine H"},"url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/author\/ch1187\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/327\/2026\/05\/1777624777648-e1778492968582.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1499"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1547,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1499\/revisions\/1547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.exeter.ac.uk\/per\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}