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. 

These opportunities and resources have been sent to members of the KEU’s informal network for knowledge mobilisers, for circulation to the research community. Find out more about the network.

Jump to:

Select committee inquiries currently accepting written evidence (compiled 8 May 2024)

Please click the title of any inquiry listed below to be taken to a summary of that inquiry and the full call for evidence. Remember that you don’t have to answer every question posed in each call for evidence.

New calls for evidence launched since 1 May:

All inquiries currently accepting written 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. 

Resources
Find guidance on submitting evidence to select committees on the KEU’s ‘how to guides’ page. Watch our 30 minute online training session “How to work with select committees”.

Contribute to a POSTnote

POSTnotes are short, peer-reviewed evidence briefings on emerging areas of research produced by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). POSTnotes are widely read by Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.

POST welcomes contact from researchers with relevant expertise or evidence on upcoming POSTnote topics. 

All POSTnotes currently accepting contributions

How can I contribute?

If you are interested in contributing to an upcoming POSTnote, email the relevant contact listed above to introduce yourself and your research.

  • state which POSTnote you are responding to
  • briefly outline your area of expertise and the research that’s relevant to the POSTnote
  • you may also mention skills, experience and knowledge if relevant
  • provide a link to your online profile
  • provide open access links to your most relevant published papers and blogs 

A few paragraphs are all that are needed. The POST colleague will be in touch if they need further information.

Why should I engage? POSTnotes are used by Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords and UK Parliament staff to navigate complex research. Contributing to a POSTnote is a good way of feeding your expertise into the UK Parliament as part of a trusted, impartial publication. All contributors are acknowledged when the POSTnote is published. On publication, you and your organisation’s communications team will be notified to publicise the POSTnote and your contribution. Therefore your contribution can help raise your profile and promote your research. 

More information: Find out more about contributing to a POSTnote as an expert. For queries about POST or POSTnotes contact POST.

New Parliament for Researchers with the House of Lords training

For those who missed our last event in March, we are pleased to announce a new online Parliament for Researchers with the House of Lords training session.

In this session, we will be joined by Lord Krebs, who will share insights on the value of academic research in Parliament, informed by his background in Biological Sciences. 

About the session

During the session, you will find out about how research evidence is used in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and how you can work with Parliament as a researcher. 

Who is this for?

This session is suitable for early career researchers, PhD students, researchers who are new to engaging with the UK Parliament as well as those who would benefit from a refresher. The session will cover useful information for researchers of all academic backgrounds and will be of particular interest to those in the life sciences. 

Sign up now

The session will take place online, on Tuesday 4 June, 13:00-14:00. You can register for the session here.

Each subsequent session will focus on a different academic discipline. Details for future sessions will be shared in this round-up and on our website.

Why should I engage? Parliament for Researchers with the House of Lords training sessions offer a unique opportunity to learn more about the UK Parliament and how it uses research from the perspective of a Member of the House of Lords. The sessions also contain practical information and advice on how to engage with Parliament as a researcher, including details on select committees, the House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries, POST, and working with individual Parliamentarians.

More information: Find out about upcoming sessions and how to sign up here. You can also find recordings of previous training sessions here.

Attend a networking event at Parliament

POST’s Knowledge Exchange Unit, the UK Parliament Week team and the Political Studies Association would like to invite you to a networking event on Wednesday 22 May 2024, 10am-12pm in the Attlee Suite, Portcullis House. 

This event is an opportunity to: 

  • Connect with MPs, Parliamentary staff, academics and knowledge mobilisers to discuss opportunities for universities and researchers to contribute to the work of Parliament. 
  • Join the UK Parliament Week team to explore how researchers can discover more about the work of UK Parliament, and how they can get their voices heard on issues that matter to them.
  • Find out more about how to work with the Political Studies Association to bring those studying Politics and Parliamentarians closer together.

To register your interest, or for more information please contact Annie Waddington at waddingtona@parliament.uk

Why should I engage? This networking event is a great opportunity to meet people working in a variety of different roles with the common goal of encouraging engagement with Parliament.

More information: You can read about the wider work of the KEU here. You can also find out more about UK Parliament week here, and learn about the Political Studies Association here.

We’re going on an inquiry hunt… (I’m not scared!)

Last week we gave you a tip to help you quickly get your head around parliamentary activity relating to your subject area from the past few years. But what if you want to go back further, say thirty years? Well, that’s where the online records of the House of Common’s Sessional Returns come in handy. Sessional Returns provide statistical information about the House of Commons and its committees, and also detail the committee inquiries conducted during that session (‘parliamentary year’).

So what?
Browsing through the committee inquiries conducted by committees relevant to your work can give you a good idea of what they are interested in, and how their interests have changed over the years – in response to Government activity, societal developments, and public interest.

Further information
To find out what a particular committee has investigated over the years, 1) go to the Sessional Returns page, 2) click on the year of interest, 3) scroll through until you have found the list of committees, and locate the one you are interested in, then 4) click on the committee hyperlink, which will give you a summary of their work.