Public Affairs

We provide support and advice to staff through a wide range of political engagement activities which help them promote research and generate impact, including;

• Understanding Parliamentary Processes and Procedures: We provide guidance on navigating parliamentary systems.
• Identifying Relevant Politicians: We can help you identify the most relevant politicians at all levels to contact regarding your research, or to invite them to events or visit your facilities.
• Providing Briefings on Politicians: We can provide some background information on politicians, including their areas of policy interest.
• Identifying Parliamentary Inquiries and Consultations: We help you identify parliamentary inquiries and government consultations to which you may wish to respond or give evidence.
• Connecting with Parliamentary Committees and Groups: We facilitate links with relevant parliamentary committees, cross-party, and all-party groups to which you could contribute your expertise.
• Responding to Correspondence from Politicians: We can assist in responding to correspondence from politicians and their staff.
• Highlighting the requirements of the Lobbying (Scotland) Act 2016

We work closely with colleagues in the Research Impact team who can discuss training opportunities for staff involved in policy engagement. Please email: impact@abdn.ac.uk for further details.

As well as supporting staff with their research, it is important for politicians and policymakers to understand the University's areas of expertise, including our five interdisciplinary research areas, our teaching, and areas such as skills and innovation. We therefore support the University in maintaining its profile with external political stakeholders, which can include:

• Understanding the University: We offer a single gateway into the University to help politicians and their staff understand what the University does, how it operates, and the ambitions within our Aberdeen 2040 strategy.
• Facilitating Political Visits: We work with colleagues across our university community to provide opportunities for politicians to learn more about our research and specialist facilities.
• Identifying Key Contacts: We identify the right contacts within the University for key projects and areas of interest such as our work on energy transition and our special collections
• Providing Expert Briefings: We can help source expert briefings on specific subjects for parliamentary debates, committee evidence sessions, or policy discussions.
• Highlighting the University's Importance: We support efforts to highlight how the University plays a vital role in the North East Scotland region and beyond.

The University is a member of The Association for Scottish Public Affairs (ASPA) which has a Code of Conduct for political engagement.

There are several useful guides and documents that can help you with your engagement on campus. Please click on the links below for more information.

• VIP and Political Visits Toolkit – A helpful guide when planning VIP and political visits.

• Events Toolkit – A general guide to help you plan and deliver an in-person event on campus.

• Pre-Election Period Policy – A policy which sets out the approach to internal and external events or activities during a pre-election period.

• Special Lighting Guidance – A guidance note with information on the process for internal and external requests for special lighting of our campus buildings.

If you are planning to organise an event or visit with a politician, please email publicaffairs@abdn.ac.uk for further advice and support.

The following links provide additional information on knowledge exchange and engagement opportunities with legislatures surrounding Scotland as well as the European Parliament. There is no parliament for England which is governed by the UK Parliament.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Parline database is a free resource with information on the parliaments of sovereign states around the world.

Parliament Visits & Tours

The Scottish Parliament is open to the public all year round with opportunities to watch Parliamentary business and to sign up for free guided tours and talks. Further visitor information can be found here. Elected Representatives in your own constituency or region may also be willing to facilitate visits and tours for student and staff groups.

There is a second parliament building in Edinburgh, Parliament House, which is the world’s first purpose-built parliament building and was home to the Parliament of Scotland from 1639 to 1707. Since the Act of Union between Scotland and England (including Wales) in 1707, the building has been home to Scotland’s Supreme Courts. You can find the latest information on tours and public access here.

Staff will find helpful information on how to plan visits to other parliaments within the UK and Crown Dependencies on their websites, including the UK Parliament, Welsh Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly as well as the Parliament of the Isle of Man, the Jersey Parliament and the Guernsey Parliament.

Online Resources

The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) have produced a webinar for academics and researchers interested in engaging with the Scottish Parliament. To watch the webinar, please click here.  For further information, please contact: academia@parliament.scot

The UK Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit provide a range of online resources with information on how to engage with them as well as how to find out about specific events organised for academics and researchers.  Further details can be found here.

Scottish Parliament Academia Network (SPAN)

The SPAN monthly newsletter keeps members up to date with current opportunities for academics to engage with the Scottish Parliament and includes open calls for Fellowships, UKRI Internships, and open committee consultations. More information can be found here.

UK Parliament Knowledge Exchange Unit

You can subscribe here to a weekly email from the UK Parliament's Knowledge Exchange Unit, which highlights opportunities for researchers and experts to engage with the UK Parliament. This includes calls for evidence from parliamentary committees, academic fellowship opportunities, and requests for expertise.

Scottish Policy & Research Exchange (SPRE)

We are a member of SPRE, who can provide staff with a range of useful resources and training on policy engagement and offer a free Parliamentary and Government Inquiries Service. University staff can register to receive regular email updates here.

Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

UPEN is a voluntary-led network of universities and knowledge brokers which provides a list of consultations and inquiries from across England, Scotland and Wales over the past 7 days.