These opportunities and resources have been compiled by UK Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) to help you understand how to engage with Parliament as a researcher.

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

Jump to:

Select committees currently accepting written evidence (compiled 14 May 2025)

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:

All other inquiries currently accepting written evidence:

**This is a private or hybrid bill which you can petition against, not a call for evidence. 

Why should I engage? Submitting evidence to a select committee can lead to further engagement, such as an invite 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 here. And find more on engagement for impact here.  

More information: all inquiries currently accepting evidence are found here  
Guidance on submitting evidence to Commons select committees
Guidance on submitting evidence to Lords select committees

Zip, Zilch, Nada…?

We don’t usually start our opportunities with a ‘reminder’ but the hint is in the title… we’ve not had any approaches sharing research to feature in the POSTnote on winter mortality. 

We’d really like to hear from you (or your colleagues)! 

Winter mortality is ‘excess winter deaths’ i.e. the difference in the death rate between the winter and non winter months. During December 2021 to March 2022 this was an additional 13,400 deaths. The POSTnote is looking into the factors that contribute to the additional deaths and will consider a range of factors including social, economic and geographical elements. 

We’re calling for researchers with expertise that relates to any aspect of the above description. This may include:

  • Evidence relating to existing policies and interventions to reduce winter mortality
  • Links between winter morbidity and winter mortality
  • Factors that affect winter mortality
  • Data on how winter mortality in England compares internationally
  • Effective health and social care interventions
  • Seasonable pressure on the NHS
  • International comparisons
  • Other issues that may be relevant to winter mortality

Please tell us about your expertise or research through this form. 

The quick form asks for your contact details, about your expertise (e.g. teaching a course or researching the topic), and what you think the key issues for winter mortality are (you can answer this solely from your research perspective or provide links to relevant material). Simples!

If you can’t complete the form, you can email POST@parliament.uk instead.

If you’ve been holding back, now is the time to reach out! We are grateful for and fully consider all submissions, and we sure do love an early submission.

You can submit as an individual or as a research group.

And last note – you do not have to prepare a beautifully worded and polished submission. Unlike Select Committee evidence submissions, POST doesn’t publish your submissions verbatim! So just point us towards your research and tell us about what you think is important.  

But if you don’t have relevant research, please would you forward this request onto any colleagues who might? 

The deadline to respond is Wednesday 4 June 23:45.

Why should I engage? A promoted call highlights that we’ve not received the level of research engagement we need. It could mean there is limited research in this area or fewer researchers are interested in sharing their work for policy purposes. With a smaller pool of contributors to draw on it may increase the likelihood that your research will be drawn upon and you may be asked to take part in a session exploring the topic further. 

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 and can help flag your research and expertise to parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.

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

Online event: Science for a Sustainable Future 2025

Our Knowledge Exchange Lead, Sarah F, will be participating in an online event co-organised by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network and Springer Nature.

In this one-hour event, Sarah F will be a panellist alongside Dr Chagun Basha: Chief Policy Adviser, Office of Principle Scientific Adviser, Government of India, and Professor Zakri Abdul Hamid: Founding Director, International Institute of Science Diplomacy & Sustainability at UCSI University, Malaysia.

Chaired by Dr. Stavroula Kousta: Chief Editor of Nature Human Behaviour, the panel will be exploring how collaboration between policy and research can contribute to realising the sustainable development goals.  

The event will be next Tuesday 20 May, 12:00. Sign up to attend this event using the event registration link.

Why engage? Hopefully you’ve got a good idea of the ways to engage with UK Parliament to contribute to influencing scrutiny, legislation and debate. However, you might not know as much about the international landscape. This event will give you an opportunity to hear more about the ways research and policy collaborate for impact elsewhere. 

Special Adviser to Environmental Audit Committee

UK Parliament is seeking an expert to help examine how well equipped the UK is to address the health and environmental risks from PFAS chemicals, for the duration of their inquiry. 

This role has been reopened and welcomes new applications.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) invites experts and researchers to apply for the role of Specialist Adviser for its inquiry into the risks posed by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The role will assist the committee to explore and understand the risks from PFAS substances.

The successful candidate will collaborate with the committee secretariat, especially the inquiry manager, to plan and conduct scrutiny for the inquiry. They will contribute to briefing materials, attend relevant committee meetings, and provide oral briefings as needed.

The specialist adviser will support the committee on an ad hoc fractional basis. Only in exceptional circumstances will the adviser be needed more than two days in a particular week. The role can be performed in a hybrid working pattern with onsite attendance at committee meetings in Westminster and participation in visits. The role is remunerated from £160 to £280 per day, based on experience, and on the basis of work done. The committee will meet connected, necessary expenses. 

The Committee welcomes applicants who:

  • can demonstrate an expert understanding of PFAS and familiarity with current research into them, including their impact on humans and the environment
  • can demonstrate knowledge of relevant UK Government policy and strategy in this field and can compare the UK’s approach to that of other countries
  • can provide insight into how PFAS are currently detected, monitored and assessed in terms of their impact
  • can suggest which individuals and organisations the Committee should consult on PFAS to provide a broad range of perspectives
  • are familiar with the advocacy positions or political affiliations that are held by these individuals and organisations, and with the policy debates relevant to the inquiry’s terms of reference
  • can demonstrate a strong network of contacts on this subject

The ability to provide clear, concise and impartial advice orally and in writing to politicians and/or senior decision-makers is essential.

To apply, please send a CV (no longer than 3 pages), a covering letter (no longer than 2 pages), and a declaration of relevant interests to EACom@parliament.uk by Thursday 29 May. 

In your covering letter, you should indicate how your expertise is relevant to this subject, the amount of time you could realistically devote to Committee work, and your ability to take on work at short notice if required.

If you have any questions about the role, including how to complete the declaration of relevant interests, please contact the lovely Committee team on 020 7219 8890.

Why engage? Being a committee specialist allows individuals to work at the heart of parliamentary scrutiny and experience working within a select committee team. Specialists become involved in a wide cross-section of work including informing inquiry work, preparing briefing materials for MPs, selecting oral witnesses, helping to run inquiries, analysing evidence, developing reports and preparing 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 provided specialist advice in a variety of ways. 

POSTnotes – open for contributions

The lovely folks at POST have a smattering of POSTnotes open that they’re looking for research contributions for. Brand new this week is:

Defending UK Airspace

The UK faces potential airborne threats from aircraft, missiles, and drones. What defence is in place, and how can it be improved? The POSTnote will cover integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) for defending against airborne threats including aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The team are calling for researchers with evidence or expertise on:

  • the airborne threats the UK faces
  • the UK’s current capabilities to counter the threats,
  • plans that are in place to enhance the UK’s IAMD
  • perspectives providing an international comparison with other IAMD systems globally.

To contribute to the Defending UK Airspace POSTnote, please email post@parliament.uk with the below information by Friday 30 May.

This is the information to include when you email a contribution for a POSTnote:

Subject: [the title of the POSTnote you would like to contribute to]

  • Your name
  • A link to your online research/expert profile if you have one.
  • A 250 word statement describing:
    • your relevant skills, experience and knowledge
    • key issues relevant to the project that you would like to make us aware of
    • your perspective on the specific questions set in the call 
  • A list of links to any papers, publications, or blogs you have written that are relevant to the project topic, where available. Please link to open access sources if you can. Please do not attach documents to the email, the team do not open attachments. 

You don’t need to submit a perfectly polished piece because the team won’t print your contributions verbatim. It’s better to share the key points and information promptly rather than waiting to perfect your approach.

Reminder: these POSTnotes continue to welcome an approach from researchers who would like to share their research to contribute.

Multifunctional land use decisions: what roles could collaborative governance models play? Contribute to this POSTnote by sharing your expertise and research via this form. Deadline: Wednesday 11 June

Regional differences in healthy life expectancy. *closing soon *  
Contribute to this POSTnote by emailing post@parliament.uk. This link provides guidance on what to include in your email. Deadline: Friday 23 May

Winter mortality. As featured earlier in this round up the team are very keen to receive relevant submissions from researchers. Share your experience research to contribute to this POSTnote via this form. Deadline: Wednesday 4 June

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 and can help flag your research and expertise to parliamentarians and parliamentary staff.

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

Expert call: Cultural, heritage and/or tourism research and expertise needed!

The Palace of Westminster, one of the best recognised buildings in the world, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, needs essential restoration to preserve it for future generations. The parliamentary team which oversees the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Programme for the Palace are calling for researchers and experts with relevant research and expertise to make themselves known to the programme.

The programme seeks to tap into emerging research on the value of cultural and heritage institutions, and recognises that not all societal benefits need to, or can, be meaningfully monetised.

The team would love to hear from experts with research insights on the following:

  • Understanding the value of cultural and heritage institutions (including cultural and social value, and non-economic measures)
  • Measuring the tourism value of cultural and heritage institutions
  • The cultural, social, heritage and/or tourism value of the Palace of Westminster
  • Any other relevant research

The information provided by researchers and experts will be used to help contextualise and enrich the decision-making process undertaken by Members of both Houses as different options for restoration and renewal of the Palace are considered.

Researchers and experts at all career stages and at all types of institutions are encouraged to share their research and insights, including researchers who have not previously engaged with Parliament.

Complete this form to share your insights with the R&R programme by Thursday 5 June.

The form asks you to provide:

  • your contact details,
  • an introduction to you as a researcher
  • a short summary of your main relevant findings
  • weblinks to relevant academic and non-academic research outputs, blogs and other material (if you wish)

There is also the opportunity to recommend to the programme lead what you think they should explore in terms of methods, approaches, and/or questions to help decision makers be best-informed.

By responding to this call the programme team may use the information you share to access your research and other publications, or to invite you to contribute to their work through:

  • corresponding with relevant staff in the Restoration and Renewal Programme team 
  • presenting in private to relevant R&R programme members (online or in person) 
  • taking part in short, informal interviews or conversations with relevant R&R programme members 
  • participating in roundtables with other researchers and relevant R&R programme members 
  • advising on the shape, scope and content of potential questions for future research

This is a hot-off-the-press opportunity so there is not a deadline to respond by set yet! We’ll update you on the deadline in next week’s round up, however, we anticipate this call will be open for a minimum of three weeks. 

Respond to this call by sharing your expertise and research insights through the form.

Why should I engage? Highlighting yourself as an expert and sharing your research findings is a great route to impact. Parliament seeks to draw on the body of existing research to inform decisions so it’s a way to demonstrate your research in practice and the real-world change it contributes to. Making connections with parliamentary teams may also lead to additional collaboration in the future.

More information: Find out more about why to engage with Parliament here.