Engaging with Parliament as a Researcher
How Parliament uses academic research
MPs, Members of the House of Lords, and Parliamentary staff use research as part of their work. Find out how different people in Parliament use research in different ways and watch our introductory video.Hear an academic talk about engaging with Parliament
Ways to engage with Parliament
From giving evidence in a public consultation to contributing to a briefing and giving evidence to a committee, there are lots of ways academics share their research with Parliament.
Find out about Postgraduate opportunities with Parliament
Why engage with Parliament?
Engaging with Parliament as a researcher can lead to all sorts of positive outcomes. Below are a number of reasons to get involved with the work of Parliament, based on the experiences of academics who have done so.
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What interests Parliament?
Find out about what Parliament is interested in to help you decide how to get involved and contribute your expertise.
Parliament's interests
Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff are generally interested in research that is relevant to current issues on the parliamentary agenda. In addition, MPs are interested in research related to issues that affect their constituents.
Parliament may also be interested in research conclusions that do not map directly onto parliamentary business or the Government's current agenda, if the researcher feels the findings reveal a need for policy change or action.
Parliament wants to engage with researchers who have expertise in their field, and welcomes contributions from people from different career stages, disciplines, institutions and backgrounds.
There are a number of ways to find out what Parliament is currently interested in:
- Consult the current work of:
- (Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology)
- .
- Consult the in Parliament.
- Consult : a searchable, verbatim report of what is said in Parliament (for example: debates, speeches, questions and answers).
- Consult . These are formal motions submitted for debate in the House of Commons, which allow MPs to draw attention to an event or cause and which other MPs support by signing.
- Consult .
- Consult .
- Consult the Queen's Speech, which she delivers at the State Opening of Parliament. This speech details the Government's agenda for the coming session, including proposed policies and legislation.
- Find out more about and by looking at their individual webpages.
Further resources
There are plenty of other ways to engage with parliament as an individual:
- Download about how parliament works
- Online about parliament, including FREE online workshops for students
- Voice Heard at UK Parliament November 2025 presentation
- There are people including videos, lesson plans and booklets
- for your group/class
- Find out more about at parliament