What is public engagement?

Public engagement is a productive, two-way dialogue between institutions like UCL and people and groups from outside those boundaries.

For our team, public engagement covers the many different activities that are delivered at UCL by staff and students to engage public groups and communities with their research and teaching. This includes co-production, citizen science and patient involvement, among many other engagement methods.

"Public engagement describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit."

- National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement.

At UCL, engagement should flow both ways, to mutually benefit both the work of UCL and the work or goals of the people we are engaging with. You can read more about the history and development of public engagement at the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement's Introducing Public Engagement webpage.

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