Extension of funding for the UK in a Changing Europe

Led by Professor Anand Menon, the UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) initiative aims to promote rigorous, high-quality and independent research into the complex and ever-changing relationship between the UK and the European Union, and to provide an authoritative, non-partisan and impartial reference point for those looking for information, insight and analysis about UK-EU relations that stand aside from the politics surrounding the debate.

It does this primarily through: an active online presence (including social media, podcasts, video, and the publication of briefings, commentaries and blogs); a busy programme of events (conferences, briefings, roundtables, panel discussions) aimed at non-academic audiences; and by working closely with other ESRC Brexit-related investments, including the Senior Fellows, Brexit Priority Grant holders, and those funded under the Governance after Brexit programme. The initiative was initially funded for five years. This application is to recommission the UKICE Director's Hub at King's College London for a further three years from April 2019.

There is widespread agreement from academics, journalists, policy makers, politicians and other stakeholders that the UKICE has been a vital resource in terms of understanding both the issues in relation to the EU Referendum and the process of the UK leaving the European Union. It has enhanced the reputation of social science by demonstrating how a fact-based approach can inform public debate, and has had a major role in developing a significant presence for the ESRC in terms of relationships with the media and policy makers.

Since February 2014, indicators of success include: more than 225 academic contributors from more than 60 different institutions to blogs, policy papers and research papers; more than 100 accessible policy papers/blogs online; more than 5,600 media appearances (the Director alone conducted nearly 800 media appearances and wrote 63 pieces for print media); nearly 11,000 Newsletter subscribers; more than 2.4 million website views during the EU referendum campaign; nearly 15,000 Twitter and 1,600 YouTube subscribers (the latter generating more than 20,000 hours of views); more than 2,000 officials from more than 200 government departments have attended masterclasses and seminars; nearly 350 academic outputs (books, chapters, journal articles) by UKICE-related researchers; 2000 school students (12-19 y/o) engaged; meetings between the Director and more than 50 business associations and individual firms; more than 120 briefings to parliamentary committees by the Director and Senior Fellows, including four appointments as Special Advisors.

The EU referendum and subsequent Brexit vote provided a unique - and arguably favourable - context for this ESRC initiative. Political circumstances mean that the next three years - encompassing not only the transition period but also the next General Election and the period immediately post-transition as the country adjusts - will shift the emphasis, dependent on the outcomes of the Brexit negotiations and the political, economic and social consequences of the reconfiguration of the UK-EU relationship now unfolding. At the time of writing, the outcomes of the rapidly changing political context cannot be certain: however, there will remain a pressing need for research-based evidence to inform policy choices, and public and political debates.
UKICE has become a 'go to' source of analysis and opinion for politicians, civil servants, businesses, third sector organisations and the media. This recommissioning application aims to build on this success, having demonstrated 'what works'.

The intentions are: to retain and expand the core team, to provide more capacity; to expand our portfolio of published outputs; to increase the number and extend the reach of our public- and policy-facing events; to continue our innovative MPs survey; and to do more to engage international audiences and officials.

UKICE is an inherently outward-facing research unit, focused on non-academic impact, knowledge exchange and public engagement. Its impacts are primarily attitudinal (raising awareness in debates, including among the media and the general public). In addition, by engagement with policymakers, the UKICE achieves instrumental impact (by providing insight and evidence that helps to shape decisions made in Parliament).

Non-academic beneficiaries are policymakers and officials in the UK and beyond, the media, business, civil society, and the public (both those already highly engaged in the debate and, increasingly our focus, those who have proven harder to reach and further from political discourse). They are engaged via a full and varied portfolio of events, publications and media interventions, plus close working relationships with stakeholders on all sides of the issues.

UKICE arose from a recognition that social science research dealing with the relationship between the UK and the EU had not achieved the resonance amongst non-academic stakeholders that it could or should. In its first five years, UKICE has achieved real resonance, making a significant contribution to public and political discussions about Brexit and the policies associated with it. Key to UKICE's successful engagement with such a broad range of beneficiaries is its reputation as a source of impartial and objective research, and its contact with the whole spectrum of groups and interests involved in the Brexit debate.

Beneficiaries include:

Members of Parliament and parliamentary committees: from all parties, benefit from close engagement through briefings, seminars, workshops and individual meetings with the Director and the wider team of Senior Fellows, whereby UKICE analyses both inform discussion and provide a sense of the debate from all sides. The Director and Senior Fellows have contributed more than 120 briefings to nearly 40 different parliamentary committees, including four appointments as Special Advisors (International Trade Committee, Armstrong; European and External Affairs Committee, Keating; Foreign Affairs Committee, Menon; Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Menon).

Civil servants: benefit from insights, analyses published and from direct engagement (training, masterclasses, meetings) with the Director and team. UKICE maintain close contacts with civil servants in the Cabinet Office, Foreign Office, Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the Department for Exiting the EU, and HM Treasury. More than 2,000 civil servants from more than 200 government departments have attended UKICE masterclasses (e.g. economic impacts; agriculture; devolution; public opinion; Northern Ireland; the EU after Brexit; party politics; regions; environment; EU (withdrawal) bill; immigration; negotiating internal trade deals; the implementation period).

The media: print and broadcast media benefit from unrivalled access to impartial information and insight across all aspects of UK-EU relations, both through appearances from or pieces by the Director and Fellows, or through the UKICE hub acting as intermediary and connector between media requests and the research community.

Business associations and individual firms: benefit from briefings and meetings with the Director about the potential impacts of changing UK-EU relations on their business. Examples include Deloitte, Caxton Group, Metro Bank, Apple, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, John Mills Limited, Tate & Lyle Sugar, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Confederation of British Industry, and the Institute of Directors.

Civil society and the general public: benefit from impartial and objective information on Brexit and UK-EU relations in accessible formats that are atypical for most academic research outputs, including videos, infographics, podcasts, and live-streamed events such as Facebook Live.

We have included budget for the evaluation of impact.