We aim to create an open and engaged research culture.
Why?
- Delivery of our other aims is reliant on the proactive involvement of our research community. The public and the science benefit most when it is the researchers who lead engagement.
- Engagement should be recognised as an integral part of researchers’ work so that they can dedicate time and expertise to excelling.
- Staff and students must be supported and confident in engaging the public effectively.
How?
- Running a varied and challenging engagement programme to provide a testing ground for researchers to build their experience and confidence.
- Offering advice, support and training to develop researcher-led engagement projects, including applications for funding and seed funds.
- Creating a lab champion network to inform and share our engagement approach and build a community of practice.
- Celebrating success through annual engagement awards and support efforts for wider accreditation for engagement at a University-level.
- Having our academic champion chair our Public Engagement Steering Committee, with appropriate principal investigators to ensure embedded academic oversight of engagement.
Our initiatives
Steering committee
Our steering committee provides academic oversight of our public engagement programme and allows us to respond to the needs and the interests of our scientific and external communities. The PESC meets four times a year to discuss current and future public engagement plans and pioneer ways to further embed public engagement at the Institute.
- Elisa Laurenti, Chair & Academic Champion for Public Engagement
- Greg Palmer, Public Engagement Manager
- Fotios Sampaziotis, PI rep
- vacancy, PostDoc rep
- Seun Ogundele, PhD rep
- Marta Shahbazi, Affiliate Group rep
- Shaline Fazal, Professional Services rep
- Laura Puhl, Research Communications and Events Manager
- Agnes Lukasik, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science
- Diogo Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager for the Schools of Biological Sciences and Clinical Medicine
- Daniela Boraschi, Kavli Centre for Ethics, Science, and the Public
- Bob Bragger, Cambridge and District Branch, MS Society
- Katherine Davidson, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
- Helene Doerflinger, Wellcome / CRUK Gurdon Institute
- Amanda Stranks, Patient and Public Involvement team, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
Seed funding
Our Public Engagement Seed Fund aims to support staff and students in developing new ways of engaging the public with stem cell research. Institute members and affiliates who have received £500 to £2000 for previous seed fund projects include:
| Project | Year | Awardees | Group |
| You, Me & Us | 2023 | Kirsty Ferguson | Philpott |
| Stem cell based embryo models | 2023 | Kathy Niakan and Christina Rozeik | Niakan* |
| Patient and student engagement | 2023 | Jaana Bagri, Rebecca McDonald and Matthew McLoughlin | Huntly, Ghevaert, Vassilliou |
| Understanding barriers to STEM careers | 2022 | Myriam Haltalli, Oluwaseun Ogundele and Nicola Wilson | Göttgens and Hendrich |
| What would you become? | 2022 | Nicola Wilson | Göttgens |
| Code for a Change | 2021 | Mariana Quiroga Londoño | Göttgens |
| Girl Guides STEM day | 2020 | June Park | Lee |
| Cord blood consultation | 2020 | Emily Calderbank | Laurenti |
| Patient-led conference | 2020 | Alan Warren | Warren* |
| #blackgirlinscience | 2019 | Oluwaseun Ogundele | Hendrich |
| 4L Rally, Morocco | 2019 | Marion Perrin and Dan Bode | Vallier and Kent |
| Stem Cell Exchanges | 2017 | Mariana Alves and Katie Tremble | Silva |
| Stem cell brew | 2017 | Dan Bode and Tim Lohoff | Wellcome PhD programme |
| Stem cell robots | 2015 | Elisa Laurenti | Laurenti |
* Affiliate lab groups.
Awards
Our Director presents annual prizes at our Institute Retreat to recognise contributions to work with public, patient and community groups. Previous winners are listed below.
| Year | Prize |
Awardees |
Director's remarks |
| 2024 | Commitment | Kirsty Ferguson | |
| Innovation | Sinha Group and Niakan Group | ||
| 2023 | Commitment | Emily Calderbank | For exceptional participation in our public and patient engagement programme over many years. |
| Innovation | Nicola Wilson | For an innovative and inclusive approach to a seed fund project co-creating engagement activities with community groups. | |
| Partners | Bob Bragger, Deborah Katznelson, Richard Milne | For enabling valued interactions with patient and community groups. | |
| 2022 | Commitment | Roger Barker and Khalil Rawji | For their long-term commitments to public and patient engagement at all levels. Awarded jointly. |
| Innovation | Zilbauer Lab | For forging new connections with paediatric patients living with IBD and their families. | |
| 2021 | Commitment | Shaline Fazal | For outstanding contribution to work with patient and community groups, and ongoing support to create an engaged research culture at the Institute. |
| Innovation |
Mariana Quiroga Londoño |
For new and novel approaches to engagement over the past year, including launching the Code for a Change platform and participating in the Unknown Unknowns project. | |
| Partners | Anna Brownsted, David Cain, Harold Offeh, Julie Stevens | For enabling exceptional interactions with patient and community groups, as valued partners to our Institute public engagement team. | |
| 2020 | Personal |
Oluwaseun Ogundele |
For digital engagement and content creation with #BlackGirlInScience. |
| Project |
Franklin Lab |
For Harold Offeh's A Pattern for Progress project | |
| 2019 | Personal |
Green Lab |
For contributions to LifeLab in Peterborough. |
| Project |
Cedric Ghevaert |
For their charity concert in Newmarket. | |
| 2018 | Personal | Justyna Rak |
For contributions to almost every Institute engagement event this year, particularly with the stem cell robots and in their local area. |
| Project | Dan Bode and Tim Lohoff |
For Regenerator, our stem cell brew developed in partnership with Moonshine Brewery, now touring local venues. |