Election special: how can higher education make its case amid political change?

The aptly labelled ‘year of elections’ rolls on with UK voters going to the polls on 4 July and the French election process concluding soon after. So, how can higher education seize upon these rare moments of political change to canvas greater support for the sector from government? This collection of resources looks at how universities and academics can demonstrate their value to policymakers and work with them to help drive forward regional and national priorities

Hands holding up competing speech bubbles

What should universities focus on when communicating with the next UK government?

Advice for universities on communication strategies that will push their need for policy action up the next government agenda

Joe Marshall

National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB)

A typewriter, camera and speaker phone

‘It falls to us to tell our universities’ stories. Here’s how’

There has been little mention of higher education during the UK general election campaign, so it falls to university leaders to make sure their stories are heard, writes Jane Harrington

Jane Harrington

University of Greenwich , University Alliance

Man speaking at a community meeting

Regional place-makers: how to demonstrate the economic and societal value of higher education

Higher education institutions should build a strong regional presence, addressing local issues, then find innovative ways to demonstrate their impact to the public and policymakers, writes Anthony McClaran

Anthony McClaran

St Mary’s University Twickenham , GuildHE

Man being bombarded with requests for an interview

How can universities make their case to a new government?

Three key considerations to convincingly showcase the value of universities to a new government inundated by competing priorities

Hamir Patel

Russell Group

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THE podcast: what does the UK election mean for higher education?

Does the UK general election offer a ray of hope for the beleaguered university sector? Two higher education policy experts give their take on what university leaders can do to make a case for the sector and how a new parliament might tackle hot topics such as international students and research funding

Nick Hillman, Diana Beech

Higher Education Policy Institute, London Higher

Image of a grand government building

Writing and presenting reports for government: five dos and five don’ts

A guide for academics on the dos and don’ts of writing and presenting research reports designed to inform policymakers

Naresh Pandit

University of East Anglia, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Insight on parliamentary inquiries and lobbying

Parliamentary inquiries and lobbying explained

Martin Smith offers an overview of parliamentary inquiries and lobbying for academics, looking at who is involved, how effective it can be and what results it can offer beyond direct policy change

Martin Smith

Goldsmiths, University of London, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Advice on using your research to inform and impact policy decisions

Learning the craft of using your research to engage in policy

David Garcia explains how academics can get their research noticed by politicians in order to inform and impact policy decisions

David R. Garcia

Arizona State University

Group high five

Does the UK need an observatory for university engagement with policymakers?

Any such project would need to guard against numerous pitfalls, but the benefits in terms of bringing together various initiatives and engendering new skills could be great

Jonathan Breckon , Sarah Chaytor , Kayleigh Renberg-Fawcett

Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE), Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), University College London

Five steps for engaging policymakers with research

Five steps for engaging policymakers with research

Five pointers to help researchers get policymakers interested in their work, based on a guide co-created by government and academics from the University of Leeds

Ben Walmsley

University of Leeds, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

A group of policymakers discussing research

How to facilitate knowledge exchange and build trust with policymakers

Those seeking to create impact with their evidence should be ready to understand how public sector bodies make sense of the value of research, writes Julian Molina

Julian Molina

University of Bristol

Hand knocking down dominoes

Driving change through knowledge: how to increase policy impact

Academic research is invaluable in informing governments and leaders so they can make decisions that affect us all. Here, Yaryna Basystyuk offers advice on how to make your research count in the policy world

Yaryna Basystyuk

University of Southampton

Group of officials in discussion

How to convey the benefits of higher education to government and policymakers

From identifying the decision-makers to presenting clear evidence, Jamie Gilbert Mikell shares tips for communicating the value of higher education to government and policymakers in the US

Jamie Gilbert Mikell

Athens State University

Woman casting a vote in a US election

Voting counts: how to get more students to the ballot box

Young people are less likely to vote than any other age group, so what can institutions do to engage students with the most fundamental of democratic processes? Rebecca Deegan shares some lessons

Rebecca Deegan

I Have A Voice

Button badges with the Scottish saltire pile up

Every student in Scotland can vote: here’s why that should matter to educators

Teach your students that voting is an investment in the future – and help them build a lifelong habit. Murray Leith offers advice

Murray Leith

University of the West of Scotland

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THE podcast: how to turn university students into engaged citizens – and voters

Political scientists, in the US and the UK, discuss how universities can support Generation Z to engage with the democratic process, how to foster safe and open political discussion and why voting is like bungee jumping

Elizabeth C. Matto, Michael Bruter

Rutgers University, The London School of Economics and Political Science

Universities need to promote pluralism and thinking across the divide in order to strengthen democracy

Universities must promote pluralism to ward off threats to democracy

Once the moral basis of anyone who disagrees with us is rejected, then democracy inevitably implodes, says Matthew Flinders

Matthew Flinders

University of Sheffield

A university leader gives a press conference - standing as a bastion for democracy is key for higher education and its leaders

Four key strategies for higher education leaders to advance democracy

University leaders must use their positions to develop citizens and communities that combat tyranny and facilitate democracy – hard work that is done on and off campus

Jon McNaughtan, Alexander W. Wiseman

Texas Tech University

open knowledge

How open knowledge strengthens democracies

No longer just guardians of knowledge, public universities are critical to the health of young democracies. To support civil society and democracy, flagship institutions must embrace their role as coordinators of open knowledge exchange

Justin Axel-Berg

University of São Paulo

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THE podcast bonus episode: an interview with Kathryn Sikkink, Ryan Family professor of human rights policy at Harvard Kennedy School

Human rights scholar and award-winning author Kathryn Sikkink talks about her work with the Harvard Votes Challenge, how young people are more savvy about misinformation than older generations and why, in this year of elections, democracy needs protection

Kathryn Sikkink

Harvard University