Connecting research, policy, practice and communities to create positive change

Join researchers, community organisations, local authority colleagues, practitioners and local residents for an afternoon of conversation, collaboration and connection.

The Research Assembly is part of the University of Bath's Festival of Social Science and provides a space to explore how research, policy and practice can work together to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our communities.

Delivered in partnership with Bath & North East Somerset Council, this year's Assembly recognises that tackling inequalities is a thread that runs through almost every area of local policy, service delivery and community action. Whether the focus is health, education, housing, transport, climate resilience, community participation or economic opportunity, inequalities shape both the challenges people face and the solutions required.

Through stalls, posters, networking and discussion, the Research Assembly will showcase a diverse range of research, projects and community initiatives and create opportunities for new partnerships between researchers, practitioners, policymakers and local communities.

Featured themes include:

Decolonising psychology and challenging inequality in research and practice

Educational attainment and reducing barriers to opportunity

Transport, accessibility and inclusive communities

Food access, food insecurity and community resilience

Health inequalities, alcohol and drug harm reduction

Young people's mental health and wellbeing

Disability, climate resilience and the impacts of extreme heat

Physical activity, health and inequality

Data, evidence and creating a more equitable economy

Housing, healthy places and the social determinants of health

Community voice, participation and inclusion in research and decision-making

Training Session

Alongside the marketplace, we will be running a specialist workshop:

Including the Excluded: Ensuring Community Voices are Heard in Research and Policy

This interactive session will explore practical approaches to involving people with lived experience in shaping research, policy and decision-making from the earliest stages.

The workshop will bring together learning from:

Participatory and inclusive research practice from the Centre of Applied Austsum Research

The University of Bath's Upstream Engagement programme

New approaches to involving lived experience in governance, priority setting and research design

Examples from researchers and community partners working to build inclusion into every stage of the research process

Whether you are a researcher, policymaker, practitioner, community organisation or resident, this session will offer practical insights and examples of how more inclusive approaches can lead to better outcomes, stronger partnerships and more impactful research.

Why attend?

Discover innovative research addressing inequalities across Bath and North East Somerset

Meet potential collaborators from academia, local government and the voluntary sector

Share your work and learn from others

Explore opportunities for research, evaluation and knowledge exchange

Help shape future partnerships and projects that can make a difference locally

Description supplied by the event organiser.