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

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
• 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.

There are several useful guides and documents that can help you with your political 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.

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.

Scottish Policy & Research Exchange (SPRE)

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