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 2 December 2021)

Please click the title of any inquiry listed below to be taken to a summary of that inquiry and the full call for evidence.

Select committee inquiries launched in the last fortnight (since 25 November 2021)

Please click the title of any inquiry listed below to be taken to a summary of that inquiry and the full call for evidence.

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.

Are you a PhD student in a psychology-related subject? Are you a Member of the British Psychological Society? This could be the fellowship for you!

POST (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology) and the British Psychological Society (BPS) are offering a 13-week fellowship to PhD students in a psychology-related subject who are a Member of the British Psychological Society and in their penultimate or final year of study. There is one funded fellowship available.

The fellowship can be carried out full-time for three months or part-time over a longer period. Successful applicants will be expected to start their fellowship between May 2022 and January 2023.

Applications close Monday 28 February 2022.

Find more information on eligibility, the fellowship and how to apply.

Why should I engage? POST’s PhD fellowships offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to view the epicentre of policy-making from the inside. By the end of their time at POST, fellows learn how to write for policy with balance and impartiality. They also develop a unique understanding of Westminster and forge important relationships with key stakeholders, while often delving into a novel and exciting topic of research. Find out more about what a POST fellowship is like and the opportunities it can lead to.

More information: Find out more about POST fellowships. Watch an interview with a previous POST fellow to learn about her experience.

A Parliament fact to (maybe) impress your colleagues with

Did you know that oral questions happen each sitting day at Parliament on Monday to Thursday? It’s not just Prime Minister’s Question Time on a Wednesday.

Oral questions are parliamentary questions put to a government minister in person by an MP or member of the House of Lords in the Chamber of each House. The minister has to answer on a range of topics related to the work of their department. In the Commons, each government department answers questions according to a rota. In the Lords, questions are to the Government as a whole, not to particular government departments.

So what? Oral questions are one way that government departments are challenged by Parliament. If you explore the questions being asked to a department relevant to your area of research, it will give you an idea of the work programme and challenges facing that department at the moment.

More information: Find out more about oral questions. If you’d like to know more about parliamentary questions, you can contact the House of Commons enquiry service, or contact the House of Lords enquiry service.