N8 AgriFood is launching a new initiative designed to celebrate and support successful policy engagement from across the programme. Our Policy Focus Week (10th – 14th June, 2019) will include a number of events and targeted media activity celebrating successful policy engagement from the N8 AgriFood programme and offering training opportunities to develop your skills in this area.

The week will be opened with a unique event bringing together academics and government representatives to share their knowledge and experiences with you about how to influence policy. With a mixture of advice and training in the morning and our N8 AgriFood Chairs and academics showcasing their policy engagement in practice in the afternoon, the day promises to be a great start to this distinct week of activities. The day is aimed at those working under the broad theme of agri-food who have an interest in engaging with policy, including: academic staff; research team staff (e.g. impact managers, communications managers); PhD students and associated industry partners of any of the N8 universities. The event is free to attend.

9.30 – 10.00 Coffee and registration

10.00 – 10.05 Welcome, Prof Katherine Denby, N8 AgriFood Academic Director

10.05 –10.30 Rachel Marshall , N8 AgriFood Knowledge Exchange Fellow, Introduction, overview of parliament, government and different types of engagement

10.30-11.00: Dr Pete Border, Scientific Advisor, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology- ‘Policy scrutiny: processes, resources and how to engage’

11.00-11.30: Break

11.30-12.00: Julieta Cuneo, Manager (Sustainability), Policy Connect ‘Engaging with The All Parliamentary Party Groups (APPGs) and running events in Westminster’

12.00-12.30: Dr Yaadwinder S. Sidhu, Office of Chief Scientific Adviser, DEFRA‘Systems Research – a DEFRA perspective’

12.30-12.45: Questions for all policy speakers

12.45-13.30: Lunch

13.30 – 14.00: Prof Bob Doherty, Professor of Marketing and N8 AgriFood Chair, University of York ‘How IKnowFood and the Co-op food policy team co-created the future of food’

14.00 – 14.30 : Prof Fiona Smith, Professor in International Economic Law and N8 AgriFood Chair, University of Leeds, ‘Sharing legal knowledge: Working with Parliament, Business and Farmers on Brexit’

14.30 – 14.45 : Coffee break

14.45 – 15.15: Prof Mark Reed, Professor of Socio-Technical Innovation and N8 AgriFood Chair, Newcastle University. ‘Informing International Policy on the sustainable management of Peatlands’

15.15 – 15.45: Dr Jess Davies, Senior Lecturer in Sustainability, Lancaster University, ‘Science in the C-suite – engaging with businesses to change policy and practice’

15.45 – 16.15 Questions and close

Limited parking is available at the venue, please contact the venue directly to arrange.

Vegan, vegetarian and dairy free options are all available, please send an email to events@n8agrifood.ac.uk with your requirements