UKRI Policy Fellowships Visit - 18th November 2026
The University of Warwick is hosting a two-part afternoon event to share information on the UKRI policy fellowships and to reflect on policy fellowships in Midlands research organisations. The first part of the afternoon will provide an overview of the UKRI policy fellowships and future plans, led by representatives from the ESRC, who deliver this programme of work. This will be open to, and designed for, both researchers and professional service staff who are applying for, or supporting those intending to apply for UKRI policy fellowships. The second part of the event will be a more focussed workshop, led by the teams from UCL who have been evaluating and making recommendations on the UKRI Policy Fellowships. This will be an opportunity to discuss policy fellowships in general and how these could best be designed in the Midlands context. This part of the afternoon will be for those with experience of policy fellowships, either as previous fellows or professional service staff who have experience supporting fellowships or policy engagement.
Date: Wednesday 18th November 2026
Time: 14.00 - 16.00
Location: Radcliffe, Spaces 30 and 33, University of Warwick campus, CV4 7AL
Light refreshments will be provided on the day.
Schedule
14.00 - 15.00 ESRC led discussion about policy fellowships
This session is for anyone interested in UKRI policy fellowships, including research administrators and professional services teams in Midlands universities who support fellowship applications.
15.00 - 16.00 Policy Fellowship evaluation & reflections (in the Midlands context) workshop
This will be a three part workshop: i) the team from UCL will present the findings of their evaluation of the UKRI Policy Fellowships; ii) the group will be invited to reflect on the findings and provide feedback from the Midlands' context; iii) a broader discussion of policy support offerings and next steps for the region.
This session is targeted to research administrators and professional services teams in Midlands universities who support fellowship applications or policy engagement activity.
Meet Our Partners
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Daniel Robinson, Head of Policy Partnerships and Impact at the ESRC.
Daniel’s work focuses on enabling research in economics and social sciences to contribute towards addressing major societal challenges by improving engagement with policy makers and practitioners in government and the third sector. Daniel is responsible for leading engagement and strategic development of a wide ranging portfolio of people mobility programmes that now operate across UKRI including the Policy Fellowship, Policy Internship and Parliamentary Thematic Research Leads programmes. Prior joining ESRC in 2018, Daniel spent 20 years working in the charity sector working on areas such as digital social innovation, infant mental health, social enterprises and community arts and regeneration.
Kirsty Frior, Senior Research Portfolio Manager at the ESRC.
Kirsty is a Senior Portfolio Manager at ESRC, responsible for the development and management of fellowship and people mobility programmes that connect researchers with policy and practice communities . Kirsty works with partners across government, academia and the third sector to support the delivery of high-quality opportunities that maximise research impact. Prior to this role, Kirsty worked at the Natural Environment Research Council in the National Capability Team, with a focus on international funding to enable the UK to deliver world-leading environmental science.
University College London (UCL)
Huw Morris, Honorary Professor of Tertiary Education, UCL Institute of Education
Alice Tofts, Policy Fellowships Coordinator, UCL