About
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What is the Edinburgh Beltane Beacon for Public Engagement?
The Edinburgh Beltane Beacon for Public Engagement is a four year project delivered by a partnership led by the University of Edinburgh. It is one of six Beacons for Public Engagement established to bridge the gap between researchers working at the cutting edge and the people their research will affect. This beacon gets its name from a Celtic festival that unites the whole community.
Drawing on the experience of researchers across disciplines including medicine, science, engineering, social sciences and the arts in its public engagement work, it will enable researchers to share their ideas with the public and between themselves – highlighting the benefits of approaching an issue from different angles. The beacon will ensure advances made in science, technology and medicine are conveyed in a way that relates to everyday life.
The public can communicate with the Scottish Parliament to influence decision-making and Edinburgh Beltane is tapping into this by offering people access to research expertise that’s relevant to public policy. An example of this type of public engagement has been in stem cell research where the Royal Society of Edinburgh worked with young people to increase understanding before collating their opinions and presenting them to Parliament.
What are we going to do?
- Encourage citizen participation and understanding of areas of research relevant to public policy such as health and life sciences, energy and the environment.
- Embed a culture of public engagement in our partner Higher Education Institutions.
- Encourage, support and help researchers to play their part in society and policy making.
- Facilitate public policy debate.
How are we going to do it?
Communicate
We will set up a network, web pages and have an awareness raising campaign across all the partners.
Train
We will provide training opportunities to improve public engagement skills.
Influence
We will work with human resource departments and management in our academic partners to ensure public engagement activities are properly rewarded.
Engage the public
We will run interactive events for the public which will present and debate research in public policy areas.
Provide opportunities
We will provide opportunities for researchers to engage with the public through the events that we run, the Public Engagement Fellowship Scheme and Public Engagement Competitions.
Evaluate
We will evaluate ourselves, events and training with the aim of continuous improvement.
Share
We will share our learning and best practice amongst the partnership members.
Who will benefit?
Researchers will benefit from
improved communication skills, job satisfaction, inspiration, an insight into the public’s views which can positively influence their research, and recognition and rewards in their career progression for excellence in public engagement activities.
Policymakers will benefit from
more experts to talk to, an informed and confident public, public debates to guide policy, and public participation in evidence based policy decisions.
Public Engagement Experts will benefit from
more suitable speakers available for different audiences, access to a wider range of subject areas for events, more research events with a public engagement strand, increased capacity to respond to public concerns, and an extended partner network.
Special Interest Groups will benefit from
more relevant and accessible events, the opportunity to contribute and influence research, and informed public debate.
The Public will benefit from
a better understanding of the research issues affecting public policies, more opportunities to participate in governance of Scotland, and policymakers using evidence based approaches to decision making.
How can you get involved?
If you are a Researcher:
let us know what you do; get involved in training and events; consider becoming a Public Engagement Fellow; generate ideas for our Public Engagement Competition; join our network and working groups.
If you are a Policymaker:
let us know your area of interest; suggest timely events; participate in our discussion sessions.
If you are a Public Engagement Expert:
join our network and working groups; be a partner in a public engagement project; let us know if we can contribute to your events; let us help you reach a wider audience.
If you work with Special Interest Groups:
suggest events; help us reach the right audiences.
If you have a question: ask it!
Let us know what subjects you would like to hear more about.
The Edinburgh Beltane partners are:
The University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University, UHI Millennium Institute, Edinburgh College of Art, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh Consortium for Rural Research, Edinburgh International Science Festival, Global Science Network, National Museums Scotland, Optos plc, Our Dynamic Earth, Roslin Institute, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Royal Observatory Edinburgh Visitor Centre, The Herald, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, The Sutton Trust, Vitae.
