Swansea University part of new UK-wide Evidence Exchange

The consortium will be led by the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge and the work over a three-and-a-half-year period will be funded by a new £3.75m grant from the Economic and Social Research Council.

The Evidence Exchange (EvEx) consortium also includes King’s College London, University of Edinburgh, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Manchester and University College London. Project partners include the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), the Scottish Policy Research Exchange (SPRE), the Resolution Foundation and Apolitical. At the University of Cambridge, the Centre for Study of Existential Risk is also part of the consortium.

Launching on 1 February 2026, the Evidence Exchange project will:

• Develop a Digital Campus to promote academic and policy exchange schemes and courses for public and civil servants, making opportunities easier to find and access.
• Create professional development initiatives to equip public and civil servants with the skills and knowledge needed for effective public service today.
• Introduce innovative methods to develop communities of co-creation, including policy hackathons, sandpits, workshops and policy labs.
• Build relationships through extended Policy Fellowships and secondments for public and civil servants, and a new project matching policy contacts to research projects UK-wide - a Research Programme Policy Exchange.
• Extend capacity in the nations and regions of the UK, working with project partners and commissioning activity, while building a UK-wide, sustained community.

These activities will help improve public policy decisions and outcomes, drawing on research expertise and evidence from across the UK, and sharing learning and skills development between researchers and public and civil servants.

Professor Jonathan Bradbury, Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Impact in Humanities and Social Sciences and Co-Project Lead for Evidence Exchange at Swansea University said: “Evidence Exchange is a historic opportunity to reset the relationship between public/ civil servants and research organisations to underpin high quality policy making. We will be setting up a Swansea University Evidence Exchange Hub to enable a step change in professional development and engagement for public and civil servants across all levels of government and researchers from all subject disciplines. Our ultimate aim is to energise the cultures of government and universities to achieve greater collaboration and ensure that public policy benefits as many people as possible."

Nicola Buckley, Director of Fellowships & Networks, Centre for Science and Policy, Cambridge and Project Lead for Evidence Exchange, said: “We are looking forward to developing this national Policy to Research infrastructure with partners, meeting and generating demand for learning and exchange between public and civil servants and research organisations. We know that taking the knowledge and skills needs of public and civil servants as the stimulus for research-policy engagement is an effective pathway to evidence-informed policy. The Evidence Exchange will enable more organisations to participate than ever before, diversifying this activity across the UK.’

Dr James Canton, Deputy Director, Innovation and Public Policy, Economic and Social Research Council, UK Research and Innovation, said: "This investment marks a significant step in strengthening the connection between research and policymaking across the UK. While initiatives like the UKRI Policy Fellowships have helped bring researchers closer to government, policymakers have lacked an equivalent mechanism to engage universities directly. By building a robust policy-to-research infrastructure, we are filling this gap and enabling policymakers to access world-class evidence and expertise, build skills and enhance collaboration. ESRC is proud to champion this initiative.”

Consultation with those responsible for civil and public service learning, and across the research sector, will take place during the first six months of the project, shaping the delivery phase.