Engaging with Parliament as a researcher

How Parliament uses academic research

MPs, Members of the House of Lords, and Parliamentary staff use research as part of their work. Find out how different people in Parliament use research in different ways and watch our introductory video.

Here is a transcript of the video.Find out more.

Hear an academic talk about engaging with Parliament

Here is a transcript of the video interview.Hear more stories from academics about academics engaging with Parliament.

Ways to engage with Parliament

From giving evidence in a public consultation to contributing to a briefing and giving evidence to a committee, there are lots of ways academics share their research with Parliament.

Find out more.

Find out about Postgraduate opportunities with Parliament

Academic Fellowships and PhD support with UK Parliament

Why engage with Parliament?

Engaging with Parliament as a researcher can lead to all sorts of positive outcomes. Below are a number of reasons to get involved with the work of Parliament, based on the experiences of academics who have done so.

Here is a transcript of the video.

Find out more.

What interests Parliament?

Find out about what Parliament is interested in to help you decide how to get involved and contribute your expertise.

Parliament's interests

Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff are generally interested in research that is relevant to current issues on the parliamentary agenda. In addition, MPs are interested in research related to issues that affect their constituents.

Parliament may also be interested in research conclusions that do not map directly onto parliamentary business or the Government's current agenda, if the researcher feels the findings reveal a need for policy change or action.

Parliament wants to engage with researchers who have expertise in their field, and welcomes contributions from people from different career stages, disciplines, institutions and backgrounds.

There are a number of ways to find out what Parliament is currently interested in:

Consult the current work of:
- Select committees
- Public Bill committees
- POST (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology)
- House of Commons Library
- House of Lords Library
- All Party Parliamentary Groups.
Consult the calendar of scheduled business in Parliament.
Consult Hansard: a searchable, verbatim report of what is said in Parliament (for example: debates, speeches, questions and answers).
Consult Early Day Motions. These are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons, which allow MPs to draw attention to an event or cause and which other MPs support by signing.
Consult Petitions.
Consult Prime Minister's Questions.
Consult the Queen's Speech, which she delivers at the State Opening of Parliament. This speech details the Government's agenda for the coming session, including proposed policies and legislation.
Find out more about MPs' interests and Peers' interests by looking at their individual webpages.

Learn more about how different people in Parliament use research.

Further resources

There are plenty of other ways to engage with parliament as an individual:

Download free guides Link opens in a new windowabout how parliament works
Online talks and tours Link opens in a new windowabout parliament
There are resources for youngLink opens in a new window people including videos, lesson plans and booklets
Book an outreach session Link opens in a new windowfor your group/class
Find out more about research Link opens in a new windowat parliament