About the Centre
The Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities is a transformative addition to the UK public engagement landscape, supporting researchers, practitioners and organisations to develop innovative and exciting ways for the public to engage with research.
About the Centre
Our goal is to support those working or studying in universities to engage meaningfully with the public, to facilitate cross-sector collaboration with cultural and community organisations, and to nurture a reciprocal relationship of learning, innovation and inclusion with communities outside of higher education.
We will do this by delivering a programme of two new grants, offering training and support services, developing a new strategic network advocating for public engagement and building a digital platform for public engagement documentation.
Aims and Objectives
Developing skills and support
The Centre will offer tailored support to public engagement teams and researchers across higher education and cultural sectors. We’ll provide open-access resources, digital training, and opportunities for professional development to help grow confidence, capacity, and expertise.
Building new platforms for engagement
We’re building better ways to document, evaluate, and share public engagement work, including more opportunities for researchers to connect with partners beyond academia. This includes a Digital Record of Practice – a collective resource for practitioners to record the activities, achievements, impact, and learning from their work – and a gateway for learning from the work of others.
Creating enhanced networks and grants
The Centre will support engagement practitioners to form new networks and partnerships to shape the future of public engagement. These will include a network to advocate for institutional support for engagement work, and two new grant schemes:
- The Community Connections Grant will challenge the traditional public engagement model, recognising and facilitating community expertise to lead an arts and humanities public engagement activity, in partnership with a researcher.
- The Collaboration and Innovation Grant will bring together researchers, public engagement professionals, cultural and creative sector partners, charities and community partners, to deliver experimental and interdisciplinary public engagement activity.
Pilot schemes of the Community Connections Grant and the Collaboration and Innovation Grant are being delivered with partners across the UK in 2025, with full schemes being launched in 2026.
Driving innovation
Innovation is at the heart of the Centre’s approach. We’ll support new ideas, experimental methods and approaches, and collaborative projects that push boundaries of public engagement, across disciplines, sectors, and communities.
Contact Us
We welcome questions, comments and feedback about the Centre’s work. Please email [email protected] to talk to the team.
Our Team
The Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities is based at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. The core team includes:
Graeme Wise
Director of Strategic Programmes and Engagement
Lorna Powell
Public Engagement Officer
Mhairi McGhee
Public Engagement Officer
Sarah Churchwell
Director of Public Engagement, Chair of Public Understanding of the Humanities, and Professor in American Literature
Amara Thornton
Public Engagement Officer
Jessica Gray
Public Engagement Officer
Mark Johnson
Public Engagement Programmes Manager
Emma Goult
Public Engagement Administrator