build your ICOP know-how
Introduction to the UK parliamentary system
Get up to speed on the structure of the UK Parliament, what it is, how it interacts with government, and how Parliament uses research. Click on the image of the slide below for an intro presentation by the Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) at UK Parliament or on the links on the right to access videos, summaries, slides and other resources.
Other resources by the KEU at UK Parliament
Introduction to engaging with Parliament (recorded training video)
One-pager on who uses research in Parliament and how is it used
Videos, podcasts and factsheets
Parliament explained in under 60 seconds (video)
Comedian Meera Syal and her award winning podcast: Parliament Explained (on soundcloud)
How to start engaging with the UK parliamentary system as a researcher
Do you know if your knowledge, experience or research could be used to help the UK Parliamentary system review laws, policies, procedures and processes?
- Search the list of current select committees for those that may be focused on your area of expertise:
- Search the list of current open calls for evidence or for specialist advisors advertised by select committees:
- Search the register of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) for groups that are meeting on countries or subjects on which you are an expert
- Review the schedule of upcoming briefing work of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
The ICOP team has developed several quick and easy-to-use How-to guides for students, researchers and other university staff.
Next-level research-led advocacy - impacting upon future legislation
What is the legislative agenda? This is government’s policies and proposed legislative programme for the new parliamentary session. The Queen’s Speech – delivered annually at the state opening of Parliament – sets this out as a roadmap of new bills or changes to existing bills, to be debated and, in some cases, passed into law in the coming year.
Watch the 2021 State Opening of Parliament ceremony and the Queen’s Speech (at 00:19:40 – 00:28:20)
The ICOP team has developed resources to help you make the most of the crucial opportunity to affect legislative change when a bill passes before Parliament for review and debate.
Watch the video on the right and learn how to read a bill and identify changes to improve it.
Download ICOP”S guide: How to Lobby for Changes to Bills and Acts of Parliament
Read about which bills are already in progress, and which areas are subject to future legislation
Monitoring your policy impact
If your briefing or evidence is aimed at improving UK legislation, the final step in turning your research into better policy is monitoring for impact.
How do you know if MPs, peers and other policy makers in the UK Parliamentary system have engaged with your recommendations? The short video on the right sets out the brief, easy and practical ways you can look for references to your research and recommendations among these stakeholders.
Other practical ways of tracking your impact via social media