Public engagement with research
Public Engagement at Winchester
OUR EVENTS
Our academic experts and students love to share their passion for their subjects and we offer a wide range of public engagement events and opportunities throughout the year, from walks and talks to exhibitions and performances.
OUR COMMITMENT
The University subscribes to the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement's Manifesto for Public Engagement, which 'invites institutions to publicly affirm, celebrate, and support their public engagement activities and commitments'.
SHARED ENDEAVOUR
We are keenly aware of the wealth of insight and experience that exists outside academia and we warmly invite you to become co-researchers and shape a better future together. We encourage you to tell us what your research and expertise needs are and to take part in our participatory research projects.
To find out more about how you can work collaboratively with us, explore our Collaborate page or email collaborate@winchester.ac.uk.
Key focus areas
Arts, Culture and Heritage
We are deeply embedded in the fabric of our community and we have a wealth of knowledge about the local and regional history and archaeology as well as the arts and culture sector. Our academics are working with numerous local and regional organisations, and they feature prominently in local annual festivals such the Hat Fair, BBC History Weekend and Winchester Heritage Open Days. The 2023 Heritage Open Days theme was Creativity Unwrapped and once again we offered a vibrant programme of events - find out more.
We highlighted our expertise in a video for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023 and have produced a podcast for HMD 2024.
Explore our public engagement for Holocaust Memorial Day and meet the experts.
Our academics have lent their expertise to popular TV programmes such as The Last Kingdom and major local tourist attractions such as 878AD and Medieval Jewish Winchester. Our Archaeology consultancy ARCA is a partner in the Central Winchester Regeneration project, providing specialist research services and public engagement. We are the lead sponsor of the Winchester Books Festival, of which the inaugural 2022 edition featured many of our staff and students.
Health and Wellbeing
We maintain close links with our local and regional health services and contribute our health and wellbeing knowledge and expertise to our communities, such as the HELP Hampshire Stroke Clinic (image below) and the Winchester Health Clinic. Explore our Health and Wellbeing links and engagement.
Education
We work closely with regional partner schools on curriculum development through our University of Winchester Academy Trust and our expertise in e.g. Climate Education and Special Educational Needs.
Explore our Centre of Research for Educational Action and Theory Exchange (CREATE)
Find out how we are working with schools to embed creativity in the curriculum
Climate Emergency
We are deeply concerned about the climate and nature emergency, and we engaged extensively with COP26, which was hosted by the UK. We joined the UK Climate Universities Network and offered a varied programme of events; staff and students also travelled to Glasgow to add their voices to the growing chorus calling for urgent action on climate change. We are currently working with a number of environmentally focussed organisations such as the National Trust, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, and Gilbert White's House, the birthplace of ecology.
See, hear, read, watch our research
Exhibitions
Online exhibitions
Explore our virtual visual showcase of Research and Public Engagement
Our Exhibition Gallery
Sited within our most recent campus development on Romsey Road, the West Downs Gallery hosts a programme of exhibitions throughout the year. It aims to show creative work of the highest quality to inspire debate and participation between creative professionals, academics, students and the public.
Find out more about our Gallery.
Videos and podcasts
- Explore the Centre for Religion, Reconciliation and Peace's podcast series Talking Peace, Exploring Conflict.
- Dive into the Dark Ages with Anglo-Saxon and Viking specialist Dr Eric Lacey in the popular Assassin's Creed Valhalla video game series podcasts.
- Browse the videos of our TEDx Winchester talks.
- You will find a wealth of video material to explore on our YouTube channel.
Join The Conversation
The University is an active member of The Conversation, an independent source of news and views, sourced from the research community and delivered direct to the public. Over the years, many of our academics have published thought-provoking articles, from the history of animal names to animal welfare, crime fiction to scary movies, sporting highs and sporting lows, and from modern-day Queens to Kings under car parks.
Read all University of Winchester articles in The Conversation
Find out more and get in touch
- For further information or general enquiries, contact the Research & Engagement Officer
- Explore our Public Events
- Email us if you would like to be added to our mailing list for public events
- Follow our research and engagement news on Twitter/X
- Explore our impactful research and knowledge exchange
Background image: Historian Dr Carey Fleiner, a specialist in Roman and medieval textiles, demonstrating spinning and weaving at the event Spinning a Yarn: Fabric making, Identity, Language and Storytelling Through Time, part of the 2023 Being Human Festival, a national annual celebration of the Humanities.