Informing EU policymaking as a researcher

UCL research and expertise informs EU policy in areas from the regulation of artificial intelligence to public health, from innovation policy to the rule of law.

If you want to impact policy in the broadest way possible, influencing EU policy offers an opportunity to shape priorities and legislation across 27 Member States.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU has made the routes to policy impact more complex but the strength of the UK’s leading universities continues to be recognised across the continent. As elsewhere, EU policymakers draw on the best available evidence and expertise, regardless of where it comes from.

Resources
A recently published European Institute guidance note provides an introduction to EU policymaking and the formal structures for science advice within the EU. It also includes information, advice and guidance on the different forms of engagement (from expert advisory groups to consultancy opportunities); resources for staying up to date on opportunities at EU level; and case studies of impactful European policy engagement at UCL.

Click here to read the guidance note.

Video series: Informing EU policymaking as a researcher

You can also learn more about the structures and processes for science advice in the European Union and the experience of informing policy at EU level from Brussels insiders and UCL academics. Our mini series on Informing EU Policymaking as a Research includes advice and insights from:

• Ian Catlow, Head of London’s European Office
• Toby Wardman, Head of Communications for Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA)
• Professor Slavo Radošević, UCL SSEES
• Dr Michael Veale, UCL Faculty of Laws

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Capacity-building workshop

You can access Ian Catlow and Toby Wardman’s slides from a recent capacity-building workshop on this topic (November 2022) here:

eu_policy_intro_ian_catlow.pdf

intro_science_advice_toby_wardman.pdf

Case studies

To explore more case studies of successful policy engagement with actors inside the European Union, see:

• Providing expertise on innovation policies in the EU and in Central and Eastern Europe
• Securing Elections, Defending Democracy, and Protecting Human Rights internationally
• UCL academics shaping the legal framework for Brexit
• Pioneering mission-oriented approaches to policymaking
• Shaping public policy on Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe
• Transforming lifelong learning in the UK and internationally

Image by Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash.