Good scrutiny and law-making relies on access to cutting edge research evidence and expertise. The Welsh Parliament’s (Senedd) knowledge exchange programme aims to strengthen links between the parliament, academics, and universities to make sure that happens. I led the development of the Welsh Parliament’s knowledge exchange programme between 2021 and 2025.

I build an entirely new approach to knowledge exchange in the Welsh Parliament, which involved:

• developing a new strategy for knowledge exchange, based around the research needs of Senedd committees.

• creating new connections with researchers and research institutions in Wales, the UK, and beyond,

• leveraging external funding to increase capacity,

• testing new approaches to engaging with the research community, and

• collecting data and telling stories to evaluate success.

In the three years since the knowledge exchange strategy’s launch, me and my team:

• Developed strong relationships with all Welsh universities, including through a new network for knowledge mobilisers called Twndis, and new partnerships with research institutions in Wales and across the UK,

• Leveraged significant external research funding to support Senedd work, including over £160,000 from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC),

• Developed a new engagement tool for committees (Areas of Research Interest (ARIs)), specifically targeted at academics. Since 2022, committees have launched nine ARIs with nearly 400 responses, 67% from people who had never previously engaged with the Senedd,

• Delivered 33 training sessions for more than 1,200 participants and published new guidance on how researchers can effectively engage with the Senedd. Compared to July-December 2023, our training sessions reached 370% more people in 2024, thanks to the Unit’s increased capacity,

• Commissioned ten research projects to fill evidence gaps for committees, including on: bus service funding models, the UK Internal Market Act, framework Bills, health literacy, gender and diversity quotas, COVID, and more,

• Created a new monthly newsletter targeted at the research community, which currently has 700 registrations,

• Hosted 26 PhD interns funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), worth over £150,000,

• Hosted knowledge exchange events including three policy-specific events and two conferences,

• Observed a 111% increase in academics contributing oral evidence to committees over three years – from 18 in April-September (Q1 & Q2) 2022 to 30 in the same period in 2023, and 38 in 2024, and

• Contributed to international knowledge exchange activities, including through international organisations, the International Community of Practice on Post-Legislative Scrutiny, the University of London’s Institute for Advanced Legislative Studies, and bilaterally with parliaments around the world.