Guidance

Routes for academic engagement with Government

Updated 14 May 2025

Welcome from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Welcome to our guide on how you can use your expertise to make an impact on national priorities. This can range from responding to one of the government’s areas of research interest to undertaking an internship, fellowship or apprenticeship. Perhaps you are open to a more formal commitment by becoming a member of one of our expert advisory committees or applying to work in a government department? Whatever stage of your career, I encourage you to explore the various opportunities and get involved. 

Professor Dame Angela McLean Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Some of the ways in which academics and other experts can engage with government

There are lots of ways you can engage with government depending on the stage you are at in your career, the depth of your expertise, and the breadth of your experience. Different routes may appeal to you, depending on the time you have available and the level of formal commitment you are able to make.

Submit research and evidence

Areas of Research Interest 

Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) are documents produced and published by UK Government departments, agencies, and arm’s-length bodies. ARIs articulate the topics and research questions where evidence, collaboration or further research could be valuable to departments. ARIs are a catalyst for engagement between policy officials, analysts, scientific advisors, and high-quality UK research and innovations.

Could your expertise or research contribute to departmental objectives and benefit society? You can find out by visiting the searchable ARI database of all UK government-published ARIs. The search results will include information about how to respond to relevant questions. Keep respones short, generally 3-4 bullet points about your relevant expertise or research is enough to start the conversation, and check if a department is actively working on the question. You can find more information on the ARI process and objectives here. 

Calls for evidence

Government departments and parliamentary committees regularly issue calls for evidence to gather insights from experts on specific topics, providing an opportunity for academics to inform policy development. Departments publish calls for evidence on departmental websites and via social media. You can explore open Parliamentary calls for evidence.

Exchange schemes

The Government Office for Science has collated directories of academia-to-policy and policy-to-academia exchange schemes. Exchange programmes vary in length, purpose, and time commitment, offering participants different levels of engagement and opportunities for professional development. For example, fellowships/secondments involve actively working in a different organisation, while capacity-building opportunities include pairing scheme and network-building initiatives. The tables also highlight internship/placement opportunities for students. 

Opportunities in Scotland are listed in the Scottish Government’s Academic engagement: factsheet. 

Some universities run their own exchange or training schemes – please check with your organisation.  

​The schemes highlighted below are a few examples from our comprehensive directories, intended to showcase the variety of opportunities available.

STEM Futures 

STEM Futures is a partnership of organisations across industry, academia, and the public sector. It provides interchange opportunities such as shadowing, placements and mentoring, both inside and outside of government, with a view to building civil servants’ knowledge in specific STEM areas, enabling them to learn directly from experts from various backgrounds. Want to get involved? Learn more here. 

UKRI Internships 

The UKRI Policy Internships scheme provides an opportunity for UKRI-funded doctoral students to undertake a 3-month placement at one of a selected group of influential policy organisations. 

The placements involve carrying out research, drafting briefing and background papers, and organising workshops and meetings. The intention of the scheme is to embed students in an environment where they can engage with the process of converting research outputs into policy.  

Currently, the scheme supports on average 125 internships per year across all host partners. More information here. 

Read about a UKRI intern’s experience at GO-Science.

DSIT Expert Exchange Programme and Science & Technology Fellowships

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) offers the Expert Exchange Programme (EEP) and Science & Technology Fellowships. These initiatives provide opportunities for professionals from academia, industry, the charity sector, and the wider public sector to embed within DSIT policy teams. This initiative aims to enhance policy development by incorporating diverse technical expertise. Ongoing secondment opportunities are advertised on Civil Service Jobs.

UKRI Policy Fellowships 

UKRI Policy Fellowships are aimed at early- to mid-career academics and provide funding for an 18-month fellowship embedded in a UK or devolved government host organisation to collaborate on research activity to address pressing national and global challenges. The scheme aims to enable researchers and policymakers to collaborate and build relationships that are rich, deep and can be sustained. More information here.

Advisory groups and networks of experts

Government departments have a number of formal advisory groups and networks. A few examples are outlined below and most can be explored through the map below.

Advisory councils

Scientific Advisory Committees and Councils (SACs) 

Scientific Advisory Councils and Committees (SACs) help government departments (and their arm’s-length bodies) to access, interpret and understand the full range of relevant scientific information, and to make judgements about its relevance, potential and application. SACs give advice on a very wide range of issues, spanning everything from the food we grow and eat, to the quality of our environment, the safety of our roads and transport, and the design of the buildings we live and work in. Find out more about how Scientific Advisory Committees work here. Membership of a SAC is usually through an open public appointment, with opportunities advertised here. 

MAP of SACs and ALBs – a systems map of the Scientific Advisory Committees / Councils and Arm’s-Length Bodies associated with government departments. Credit: Government Office for Science/Kumu.

College of Experts

Colleges of Experts provide a mechanism for government to access expert advice on policies and projects. They can be made up of experts from a variety of organisations, including academia, from whom departments can commission short pieces of ad hoc work to provide scientific and technical services. Unlike Scientific Advisory Councils and Committees (SACs), their expertise can span the breadth of the department’s remit and experts can provide advice on specific, niche policy areas. 

Opportunities are usually advertised by departments through an open public appointment via Civil Service Jobs.

Chief Scientific Advisers (CSAs) Network 

The network of Departmental CSAs works together under the leadership of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser to support each other and resolve cross-departmental issues. The network advises on all aspects of policy on science and technology. A Chief Scientific Adviser leads their department’s science system, including overseeing science advice for policymaking and building their department’s ability to access expertise. Current members of the network of CSAs are listed here and appointments are openly advertised. 

Council for Science & Technology (CST) 

The Council for Science and Technology (CST) is the government’s most senior expert committee on science and technology. CST advises the Prime Minister on science and technology policy issues across government. The Council is supported by a secretariat in the Government Office for Science. The Council’s work programme, advice and meeting summaries are published on gov.uk. 

In addition to the above formal advisory roles, some government departments set up ad hoc groups of experts, usually engaged for a time-limited period to provide expertise and advice to inform a specific policy area or area of research interest. One example is the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.

Science and technology experts 

The Government Office for Science welcomes active engagement and knowledge-sharing from external science and technology experts. We produce a range of outputs that help government understand what is emerging through horizon scanning, comparative international capability, and critical capability issues within technology areas. To answer these questions, we undertake a range of expert engagement activities from roundtables and surveys to interviews, peer review and occasionally through a time-limited secondment to projects. If you would like to be a part of the Government Office for Science’s network of experts, please get in touch with your contact details and subject area in which you have expertise: contact@go-science.gov.uk.

Government careers

Academics, researchers, scientists, engineers and external experts are always welcome to explore joining the Civil Service – there are numerous roles advertised at Civil Service Jobs and through the schemes below. The Civil Service Careers website can help you with application guidance and to learn more about life in the Civil Service.  

The Government Science and Engineering careers website is another resource to help you explore careers by specific science or engineering specialist area and find out how your skills might be utilised in a Civil Service role. The site also includes case studies that showcase diverse career paths and roles within government science and engineering, helping you explore the opportunities available.

Government Office for Science

The Government Office for Science advises the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet to ensure that government policies and decisions are informed by the best scientific evidence and strategic long-term thinking. We routinely work with universities, learned societies and research institutes. We offer various placements, welcome interest in secondments, and our roles are advertised on Civil Service Jobs. You can find out more here.

Science and Engineering Fast Stream 

Society faces many challenges which science can help solve. The Civil Service needs highly talented, versatile, and numerate science and engineering leaders to deliver on exciting and challenging work that will make a difference to the lives of people across the UK. 

You may be a science or engineering postgraduate straight out of university, an experienced postgraduate academic, a seasoned industry professional or an existing civil servant with a technical background. Join the Science and Engineering Fast Stream and you will become part of a modern, vibrant and active community of professionals with one goal in common: to give back to the communities they serve. 

Find out more here.  

STEM apprenticeships

Within government science and engineering, there are more than 40 STEM-related apprenticeships available, from a level 2 in engineering through to a level 7 research scientist apprenticeship. Participating in a STEM apprenticeship is not merely a training activity; it is a transformative journey towards personal and professional growth regardless of your career stage. It allows you to progress your skills and expand your knowledge while contributing to the development of those skills within your own team and department. Vacancies for apprenticeships in science or engineering are available on Civil Service Jobs. To find out more, contact the GSE Profession.