The University of Nottingham has applied for a Public Engagement Watermark.

The prestigious award recognises strategic support for public engagement and commitment to improve.

As part of evidence collected and submitted to help secure this recognition, the university is asking our staff to complete a survey to share how well you think we support public engagement.

The survey is open to colleagues across all job families across the university. It takes around 15 minutes to complete (or longer if you choose to provide more detailed feedback).

Please note: you will need to complete the survey in one go as you are unable to save your answers before they are submitted. The survey closes on Friday 31 March 2023.

Please take the survey

The Public Engagement Watermark is bestowed by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), which supports universities to engage with the public.

Stephen Meek, Director of the university’s Institute for Policy and Engagement, said: “By completing the survey, you can help us assess awareness of public engagement across our university.

“Through public engagement we inspire people, share insights, skills and ideas and together help make sense of a complex and changing world.

“Our staff and students engage and interact with the communities we serve in many different ways. Achieving the Watermark will be a fantastic recognition of our commitment to embed engagement in all that we do.”

The Watermark demonstrates to staff, students, partners, communities and funders the university’s commitment to public engagement.

It provides compelling evidence to underpin funding applications, KEF and REF submissions, and other quality assurance processes.

The Watermark process will also help the university assess and strengthen our strategic approach to public engagement and benchmark how we are doing against other institutions.

In the past year, for example, researchers have engaged with thousands of people with our research at the annual Festival of Science and Curiosity, Pint of Science, Festival of Social Sciences and Science in the Park and in countless other events with communities and schools.

They have co-produced research with communities, or engaged with patients.  We have done work with refugee, survivors of modern slavery and others.  Visitors to Highfields and University Park meanwhile accessed tracks over 26,000 times via four listening posts.