Research Engagement in the UK: Evolving Policy and Practice

In this chapter we tell the story of how UK research policy and practice have slowly evolved in response to the increasing imperative to demonstrate the social relevance of higher education (HE). This pressure has been building in the HE research sector in the UK for a number of years, with both grassroots practices (such as community-based research and patient involvement in health) and top-down policy initiatives (like knowledge exchange and research “impact”) gaining increasing traction.