The Knowledge Exchange Unit supports the exchange of information between UK Researchers and Parliament. They prepare a list of opportunities for researchers each week, which we will be disseminating in part through this blog.

If you are engaging in any of these opportunities, please email Glenn Harris or Suzi Edwards


These opportunities have been compiled by UK Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU).

Take a look at the KEU’s webhub of information and resources for researchers.

Select committee inquiries launched in the last seven days (since 11 November 2021)

Select committee inquiries launched in the last fortnight (since 4 November 2021)

Why should I engage?

Submitting evidence to a select committee can lead to further engagement, such as an invitation to give oral evidence. Your submission will be published on the Committee webpage. Your insights may inform the Committee’s conclusions or recommendations it makes to the Government. Find out more about why to engage with Parliament. You can also read more on engagement for impact.

More information: Explore all select committee inquiries currently open for submissions of written evidence.

Support resources: Find guidance on submitting evidence to select committees on the KEU’s ‘how to guides’ page.

Help us understand the barriers to applying to the Parliamentary Academic Fellowship Scheme

The Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) evaluates all of its knowledge exchange activities to ensure that they meet their aims, are barrier-free, effective and impactful, and that those involved have a positive experience.

The Parliamentary Academic Fellowship Scheme is one of our key activities. Therefore, we are keen to understand the insights and experiences of all the different groups of people involved or engaged in any way in the Scheme (Directed and Open Calls). As part of this, we are keen to hear from researchers or knowledge mobilisers who would have liked to have applied to a Scheme but didn’t.

If this applies to you, we are pleased to invite you to complete the short questionnaire by Friday 17th December to help us understand the barriers to the Parliamentary Academic Fellowship Scheme.

Call for experts on plastic waste!

The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is running an inquiry into Plastic Waste. The Committee is currently seeking experts and innovators to feed into oral evidence sessions or informal round table sessions. These are likely to take place in January and February 2022.

  • In particular the Committee is looking for:
  • Applied research and innovative companies/ partnerships working on solutions to the plastic waste problem, either by:
    • finding viable and sustainable alternative materials to plastic in high-use industries (like the packaging and construction sectors)
    • Or exploring more sustainable alternatives to traditional plastic recycling techniques
  • Experts on legal responsibilities for waste exports
  • Experts on plastic waste initiatives and free trade agreements

If you are interested in responding to the call for experts, you can complete this form. This form contains more details about what will be considered in the sessions.

The deadline to complete the form is midday on Wednesday 1st December 2021.

ICYMI – Opportunity to apply to be a Specialist Adviser for the Women and Equalities Committee

In case you missed it in last week’s round-up, a reminder that the Women and Equalities Committee is looking for a Specialist Adviser to assist the Committee with its ongoing work on preventing violence against women and girls.

The Committee are looking for an experienced Specialist Adviser who can work well within a small team and help the Committee prepare for an inquiry.

The post will run from December 2021 until the conclusion of any inquiry, likely to be before summer 2022. Advisers are expected to work no more than two days in a week on a flexible basis. Time commitment for this inquiry is likely to be frontloaded with 1-2 days per week until February 2022. From then onwards, the time commitment is likely to be less.

A daily fee is paid to Advisers on the basis of an established scale, plus reasonable expenses, for example for travel to and from Westminster if necessary (further information available on application).

The Committee proactively aims to be as inclusive as possible in its appointment of Specialist Advisers. The Committee values diversity and encourages applications from people from a wide range of backgrounds.

The deadline for applications is 30 November.

Find out more about the opportunity, the application process and how to apply.

If you require additional information about the post, please contact Margaret McKinnon, mckinnonmr@parliament.uk.

Why should I engage?

Being a special adviser provides a great opportunity to work closely with a committee, informing its work and approach to an inquiry – such as inquiry focus, selection of oral witnesses, and report development and conclusions. Find out more about why to engage with Parliament here. And find more on engagement for impact here.

More information: watch a short video with researchers who’ve been specialist advisers talking about their experience

A Parliament fact, this week about the team we are based in!

Did you know that the aim of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) is to make sure the best available research evidence is feeding into Parliament?

POST has sections focused on Social Sciences, Digital and Physical Sciences, Biology and Health, and Energy and Environment. It produces briefings for parliamentarians including POSTnotes and POSTbriefs. POST runs events, and an academic fellowship scheme.

It’s also where we in the Knowledge Exchange Unit are based.

So what? There are lots of ways to find about more about POST’s work and to get involved. You can subscribe to receive POST alerts, and/ or, you can follow POST on Twitter. Doing so will keep you up to date with POST’s work programme.

You can get involved with POSTnotes by offering to contribute your expertise, by sending in some evidence that you’ve got, saying you would be happy to be interviewed, or offering to peer review the briefing before publication. You can find out who is writing the briefing in the description of the project, linked from the relevant page on the POST work programme. You can also contact the team at POST to suggest a topic for a POSTnote.