LUMEN (London Universities Knowledge Mobilisers Engagement Network) was successfully launched a few months ago by the London Research and Policy Partnership, intending to convene those working to connect with London’s policymakers in the city. We are excited to bring you the first of our events for this academic year!

This workshop session will be hosted by the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE), a consortium of 5 universities and 4 policy partners where we're working to bridge the gap between universities and policy, and will utilise personas to explore some of the requests fielded by knowledge mobilisers in their roles.

For over 4 years CAPE and other partners have worked collaboratively to test different academic-policy engagement mechanisms, what works, how, when, and why. We have been explorative and policy demand led.

From these efforts and experiences CAPE has produced a suite of resources that are aimed at different audiences and that cover some key aspects and processes of the interaction between the different partners in knowledge exchange activities.

During this interactive session, we will explore your experiences in supporting policy engagement through personas representing academics at different stages of their careers, and we will tie them to the relevant CAPE resources:

· On supporting collaborative projects: ‘Project Scoping Template’ & ‘Optimal Conditions for co-production’

· On supporting policy fellowships: ‘Hosting Policy Fellowships Guide’ & ‘Policy Fellowship Contract Guidance’

We’ll hold an open discussion, give a comprehensive understanding of what are the main take-aways of the resources, and show the new UPEN resources hub where you can find all the CAPE resources and publications.

This event is intended to support all, whether you're a seasoned advocate or just dipping your toes into the world of academic-policy engagement.

The CAPE Compass: Navigating Public Policy Engagement Together