Centre for Public Engagement

The Centre for Public Engagement was set up in 2012 as part of a RCUK ‘Catalyst’ award, with the aim to embed and sustain public engagement within Queen Mary. Since then we have seen the amount and diversity of public engagement at Queen Mary rise and become further embedded in university policy and processes. 

Our aim is to build on Queen Mary’s strong history of public engagement to help support all our staff in developing new activity and sustaining and strengthening existing projects.

The Centre for Public Engagement has five main staff members, and is supported and guided by steering committees at an institutional level. You can view the committee membership here.

Advice

The Centre advises on best practice and practical steps for running successful activities through regular surgery sessions and bespoke guidance. Dates and times of our public engagement surgeries are stored here.

Training

The Centre delivers a range of training in all areas of engagement, including one-off sessions, bespoke courses and academic modules.

Support and Funding

The Centre provides support in generating funding for engagement projects, including assisting with grant applications and impact statements. We also provide internal funding rounds, which can be accessed here.

Public engagement requires different skills from those normally used by academics, but it is incredibly valuable as it encourages us to think clearly about what we’re doing and why it is important to society. Part of the CPE’s purpose is to help us to teach these skills, sharing best practice so that others can benefit from our experience
Professor Mike Curtis, Director of the Centre for Public Engagement