Social scientists receive Fellowship funding to deepen partnerships beyond academia

The Engagement Fellowship scheme - supported by the Social Sciences Division and funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) - enables researchers to develop their engagement skills whilst building meaningful, long-lasting partnerships; bringing valuable research insights to bear on real-world challenges and significantly growing their research impact.

Spanning a variety of disciplines, partnerships and types of knowledge exchange activities, the projects range from exploring responsible AI in a military context, and supporting the development of the NHS digital health check programme, to understanding the effectiveness of alternative delivery models for social programmes in fragile states, and investigating how public procurement can help us to reach net-zero climate targets.

Each collaboration will see either a University of Oxford researcher embedded within their partner organisation for up to six months, or colleagues from those organisations embedded at the University, to facilitate deep and rich exchanges of expertise and ideas. This has substantial benefits to the researchers, partner organisations and their wider communities.

Awarded projects 

ANNEXE (Academia-Defence Knowledge Exchange) Professor Marina Jirotka (Lead Researcher) and Dr Carolyn Ten Holter (Engagement Fellow), Department of Computer Science, partnering with The British Army. Reflecting on the Fellowship, Dr Carolyn Ten Holter said: 'This engagement will strengthen the links between Defence and academia, helping to map existing relationships focused on knowledge exchange, and ensuring multidisciplinary approaches to challenges.'	Dr Carolyn Ten Holter
Bridging the Net Zero Ambition and Implementation Gap through Procurement Policy and Practice Led by Thom Wetzer, Kaya Axelsson, Emma Lecavalier for the Net Zero Policy and Regulation Hub, Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment, School of Geography and the Environment, partnering with incoming Engagement Fellows, Mr Eduardo Spanó, Instituto Jataí, and Ms Agata Meysner, Climate Action Network Europe. Engagement Fellow Agata Meysnor said: 'This fellowship provides an invaluable opportunity for a collaboration between academia and civil society, focusing on the role of public procurement in driving systemic transformation.'  Eduardo Spano said of the Fellowship: 'This collaboration between our organisations will make meaningful progress towards our shared ambitions to embed sustainable governance within public procurement processes, advancing Instituto Jataí's mission to transform public procurement into a powerful tool for innovation and sustainable development in Brazil.'	Agata Meysner, Climate Action Network Europe   Eduardo Spanó, Instituto Jataí
Bringing the social back into sociotechnical Dr Chrysanthi Papoutsi (Lead Researcher) and Dr Jackie van Dael, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, partnering with Kainos.  Dr Chrysanthi Papoutsi said: ‘We are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute social science insights to the development of a major technology programme and work closely with our industry partner Kainos.'	Dr Chrysanthi Papoutsi
Social outcomes partnerships in fragile and conflict-affected states: A policy tool for systemic change? Dr Eleanor Carter (Lead Researcher) and Dr Harry Bregazzi (Engagement Fellow), Government Outcomes Lab, Blavatnik School of Government, partnering with UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Responding to his Fellowship, Dr Harry Bregazzi said: 'I'm thrilled to be a Social Science Engagement Fellow. Our partnership with government will develop research-informed policy resources, and we ultimately hope to help make development programmes in fragile states more effective.'	Dr Harry Bregazzi