On 22nd September, WISERD held the first of three workshops organised by the new WISERD Migration Research Wales Network.
‘Achieving Impact Beyond Research’ aimed to provide academics at all stages of their careers with the tools and recommended routes to transfer their expertise and knowledge from academia and a solely academic audience to the policy and practitioner community.
This included how to identify and interact with policymakers and stakeholders, adopt an effective approach to public affairs, and how to develop and communicate clear and compelling messages for policymakers and stakeholders.
An expert panel of speakers included:
- Anne Hubbard, Manager, Wales Strategic Migration Partnership
- Professor Sergei Shubin, Professor and Director of the Centre of Migration Policy Research at Swansea University
- Hannah Johnson, Knowledge exchange and engagement manager, Welsh Parliament
The session was chaired by Dr Catrin Wyn Edwards, Aberystwyth University, who is also a lead of the WISERD Migration Research Wales Network, alongside Rhys Dafydd Jones, Lecturer in Human Geography, also based at Aberystwyth University.
Dr Edwards said: “This was the first of three ‘Achieving Impact Beyond Research’ workshops organised by the network, and it proved to be hugely successful in terms of establishing new links between scholars in Wales working on migration and identifying key gaps between academia, policy and practice.
“We hope to build on this energy and appetite for collaboration and conversation over the next few months. We also hope that the network acts as a catalyst for more evidence-based policy-making, supports alternative methods of engaging with migration and helps bridge the gap between academia and various stakeholders and communities.”