PERC: The Public Engagement for Research Champions Programme  

What is PERC? 

Join us for the Public Engagement for Research Champions programme (PERC). Aimed at PGRs, PERC will help you design and deliver a public engagement event, increase your research impact through public engagement and improve your research funding profile through a competitive bid writing process.  Whether you are new to engagement or looking to get new perspectives on what you can do to improve, this programme is open to all PGRs from the University of Liverpool, at all stages and from all disciplines.  

This four-stage programme will provide you with tools, ideas and practical experience to help you deliver your research to a non-specialist audience. The four stages you must complete to be awarded the PERC Certificate are: 

1. Attend PERC’s opening interactive development workshop (online or in person);  
2. Design and deliver your own public engagement activity; 
3. Attend two sharing showcases for academic and peer-to-peer support, updating everyone on your project’s development; 
4. Submit a reflective account of your personal, research and professional skills development via a short presentation at a sharing showcase or written blog to researcher@liverpool.ac.uk  

Once you have completed these four stages, you will be awarded a Public Engagement for Research Champions (PERC) Certificate and you become a PER Champion.  

PER Champions are PGRs who have developed the skills and experience to communicate their research with public audiences and contribute to a culture of public engagement across the University. PER Champions can come back and offer training and development coaching for future cohorts of PERC, providing an opportunity for further valuable experience and CPD. 

When does PERC run?  

PGRs sign up for PERC by booking onto the relevant sessions below as places are not limited. These sessions are also accessible via the central PGR Development Programme: 

Key Dates 

·         PERC interactive workshop in person: 5th October, 10am – 1pm  

·         PERC interactive workshop online: 2nd November, 10am – 1pm 

·         Sharing Showcase one (hybrid): 23rd February, 10am – 12pm 

·         Sharing Showcase two (hybrid): 17th June, 10am – 12pm  

·         Deadline for reflective accounts: 30th June, 5pm  

·         PERC Certificates awarded in July 2027 

Funding Your Public Engagement Activity 

After attending the opening workshop, all attendees will be invited to follow one of two pathways to complete the required public engagement activity for the PERC Programme:  

1. Those that attend the training session will be eligible to apply for competitive project funding of up to £750 to design, deliver and lead on your own research-based public engagement activity (i.e. a public workshop, public talk, community pop-up, museum activity table or something else!). This pathway allows you to design and develop your own tailor-made activity, of which you must take complete ownership. The expected number of funded events depends on the amount of funding available each year, how many PGRs apply and how much they apply for. More details will be given in the training session.  
2. PERC attendees can also take part in any of the other multiple public engagement opportunities that are already established at the University of Liverpool or elsewhere, such as Meet the Scientist, 3MT, Quirky Quarter Window, Pint of Science, ESRC Festival of Social Science, Brilliant Club, AHRC Being Human Festival etc. Established opportunities will be overviewed during the training, and it is expected that the majority of our PGRs will take this route.  

All attendees will be supported to find a suitable public engagement opportunity across the academic year if they wish to do so. 

PERC Programme Outcomes 

The PERC Certificate demonstrates that you have developed and applied practical skills in public engagement, project development, communication, funding and reflective practice. By completing PERC, you will be able to: 

• identify and understand different public audiences;  

• adapt your research for non-specialist audiences;  

• design an engaging public engagement activity;  

• develop a project plan and realistic delivery timeline;  

• write a competitive funding proposal;  

• plan an appropriate public engagement budget;  

• deliver an activity to a public audience;  

• evaluate and evidence the outcomes of engagement;  

• reflect on your own development as a researcher;  

• articulate your public engagement experience to employers, funders and collaborators. 

Why PERC matters 

Your research has a story to tell – PERC gives you the skills, funding and support to share it. 

Public engagement is more than simply communicating your research to a non-specialist audience. It is an opportunity to build relationships, exchange ideas, develop new perspectives and demonstrate the value of your research beyond academia. 

Through PERC, you will gain practical experience of identifying and understanding different audiences, communicating complex ideas clearly and creatively, designing engaging activities, managing a project, evaluating outcomes and reflecting on your own development. These are valuable skills for an academic career, but also highly transferable to careers across industry, the public sector, charities, cultural organisations and beyond. 

PERC can also help you to develop your research profile and demonstrate research impact. By engaging directly with audiences outside your discipline, you can explore how your research connects with wider communities and real-world challenges, while developing evidence of the reach and value of your work. 

Whether you are completely new to public engagement or already have experience, PERC gives you the opportunity to try something new, take ownership of a project, learn from others and turn your research into an experience that matters to people beyond the University. Complete PERC and gain practical experience, new skills and a recognised PERC Certificate to demonstrate your development.

How PERC relates to the University of Liverpool's Strategy 2031 

PERC provides a practical mechanism for translating Liverpool 2031's ambitions into the postgraduate researcher experience. 

Ultimately, PERC supports Liverpool 2031 by developing researchers who can take their research beyond the academy. It gives PGRs the confidence, skills, experience and practical support to communicate research with different audiences, develop partnerships, create opportunities for knowledge exchange and contribute to the University's ambition to make a positive impact on people, place and planet. PERC therefore develops a generation of researchers equipped to make their research accessible, relevant and impactful beyond the University.