What can I do when?

Perfect! It is never too early to think about knowledge exchange.

• Build up your networks, go beyond your existing contacts to create new opportunities to share your research, e.g. attending relevant events.
• Think about who uses your research and why to identify possible new avenues. Engage with these people or groups, find out more about what would be useful for them. These could be possible partners, participants, collaborators or co-producers. Some research agenda-setting and methodologies can be KE activities in and of themselves
• Take the time to seek out colleagues at LSE (within or beyond your own department) who are working in cognate areas and who may have existing networks on non-academic partners or users to whom your work would also be of interest.
• Get in touch with the KEI Integrated Service, we are here to help.

• Take the time to plan your engagement activities, follow our guidance here. This will allow you to prioritise the most effective activities and apply for the correct amount of funding. You should define your objectives, identify your research users and build in evaluation measures for your activities.
• Conduct pre-intervention assessments (e.g. pre-surveys or focus groups) to collect baseline data sufficient to support convincing demonstration of change.
• Think about all the opportunities throughout your research project to engage your research users.
• Read through the guidance on writing grant applications.
• Get in touch with the KEI Integrated Service, we are here to help.

In order to increase the chances of your research having the impact you are hoping for, you should take some time now to think about how you can engage external partners, participants, collaborators or co-producers in your project. 

• Think as broadly as possible about who you should be talking to, take a look at the guidance here. Plan activities targeted at these people or groups. Ask yourself: Why do I want to reach them? Why should they be interested? You should define your objectives, identify your research users and build in evaluation measures for your activities.
• If you haven't received funding for engagement activities, look at these funding opportunities for KEI within LSE. 
• Get in touch with the KEI Integrated Service, we are here to help.

It's not too late! Activities can take place at any stage of the research project. 

• Remember engagement is a two-way process, the people or groups you engage with should have the opportunity to feedback and influence subsequent activities or research.
• You should think about what you are trying to achieve for any activity you plan and build in evaluation methods. Follow our guidance here.
• Share preliminary findings and make sure you are keeping everyone involved in your project up to date with what is happening.
• Get in touch with the KEI Integrated Service, we are here to help.

It's not too late! Activities can take place at any stage of the research project. 

• Remember that engagement is a two-way process. Towards the end of a project it is tempting just to disseminate findings, but you are more likely to have an impact if your audiences have an opportunity to feel involved. 
• Think about how you can build on successful activities. Ask yourself: how can I sustaina and maximize any ongoing engagement with and impacts of my research outputs?
• Make use of LSE channels to communicate about your research. Get in touch with the KEI Integrated Service, we are here to help.

• Use this opportunity to get feedback from any partners or research users you have engaged with in the project to help shape ideas for future projects.
• Ensure that the outputs of your project are open access and uploaded onto LSE Research Online.
• Make sure that your online profiles are up to date with details of your latest research.
• Make use of LSE channels to communicate about your research. Get in touch with the KEI Integrated Service, we are here to help.