The Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities (CPEP) is a bold new initiative led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London. It aims to support researchers, practitioners and organisations to develop innovative and exciting ways for the public to engage with research.
Through a programme of grants, training and support services, a new strategic network and a digital platform for documenting public engagement practice, the Centre has an ambitious vision to transform the public engagement landscape in the UK.
As its first major programme of work, the Centre is developing two new grants: the Collaboration and Innovation Grant and the Community Connections Grant. Both are designed 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. Currently being piloted across the UK, these grants will launch as full open schemes on 10 February 2026 and in Autumn 2026, respectively.
Collaboration and Innovation Grant
The Collaboration and Innovation Grant is currently being piloted with two projects bringing together researchers, artists, and cultural and community partners. One is based in London around the theme ‘Walking, Power and Inclusion’ and the second is based in Fife, Scotland, and centres on ‘Community Gardening’.
Shared decision-making, relationship-building and meaningful knowledge exchange sits at the heart of this grant, with project groups meeting to co-design interdisciplinary public engagement activity. In London, the group brings together practices spanning walking, gender, migrant rights, public space, ethnography, photography, performance, and activism. The researchers and artists involved includes Dr Ella Parry-Davies, Dr Morag Rose, Dr Manal Massalha, Clare Qualmann, Alisa Oleva and Saira Niazi. In partnership with Whitechapel Gallery, they will programme collaborative walking-based activity as part of Whitechapel Gallery’s Backyard Biennial (15 July-13 September 2026).
In Scotland, an interdisciplinary group of researchers – Dr Sion Parkinson, Dr Heather Yeung, Dr Willow Mullins, Dr Charlotte Holmes and Dr Xuelei Huang / 黃雪蕾 – are working with community-led arts centre Forgan Arts to curate a series of events engaging with the land through multi-sensory noticing and observation, inspired by existing arts and humanities research.
Learning and reflections from both pilots have informed application guidance for the grant, which will open to applicants on 10 February 2026.
Community Connections Grant
The Community Connections Grant will fund community-led projects, based on an issue, idea or topic that is important to a community group, supported by an arts, humanities or social sciences researcher. The grant is grounded in the belief that communities themselves are best placed to define their needs, priorities, and approaches to research and engagement, and that academic researchers should act as partners and supporters, rather than drivers, of this work.
The pilot for this grant is currently underway, with researchers across the UK being matched with a community group to help realise their project. These community-led pilot projects will come to life over the next six months, with feedback and learning directly informing the full grant, which will open to applications from community groups in Autumn 2026.
Through its grant schemes, the Centre is excited to be working closely with community groups and cultural partners across the UK, and hopes to engage with a wide and exciting range of academics and community and creative partners, placing collaboration at the heart of public engagement.
Training and digital resources
Throughout 2026, the Centre will deliver a new programme of training, including information sessions for each grant and sessions focused on centring research in public engagement, innovating with communities, and evaluation. This training will complement the successful training programme already delivered as part of the School of Advanced Study’s Being Human Festival.
To better document and share public engagement work, the Centre is developing a new Digital Record of Practice. This will be a collective platform for practitioners, both within and outside of academia, to record the activities, achievements, impact, and learning from their work, and will be a resource for learning from the work of others.
The Centre’s Strategic Enablers’ Network and its Engagement Practice Support Service are also in development and details will be shared in due course.
Looking ahead
The Centre is looking ahead to this exciting programme throughout 2026, designed to explore new ways of working collaboratively with communities and cultural organisations. By testing community-led and co-designed approaches to arts, humanities and social sciences public engagement, the Centre will generate learning, resources and networks to support more inclusive, reflective and innovative engagement practice across the UK. Stay connected with the Centre to hear about upcoming opportunities and ways to get involved.