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TU Dublin’s Engaged Research Network is open to staff and PhD students interested in engaged research (*see definition below). It focuses on connecting and supporting people with an interest in engaged research, and developing and sharing resources and experience. The network will build TU Dublin’s capacity for Engaged Research, with a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The Network currently has more than 130 members, and 2 main working groups in semester 1 of 2025/6:
- Hackathon/themed network events development
- Evaluation of the impact of the work of the network to date
If you have any queries, or if you'd like to join the network, please contact Dr Catherine Bates at engagementandimpact@tudublin.ie.
We presented a poster on the work of the network up to April 2025 at the All-Island Research Culture Network's 2025 Conference, in Belfast. It was called 'Fostering a Culture of Collaboration for Change: TU Dublin's Engaged Research Network'. The poster was co-authored by members of the network's working groups and the TU Dublin Head of Research and Innovation for Engagement and Impact. It covers the different strands of our work together, and the approach and benefits of the network. You can view the poster here.
We have produced an interesting podcast: ‘Engaged Thinking and Research: Conversations.'. It aims to shine a spotlight on the transformative potential of engaged research and innovation practices and foster meaningful conversations among researchers, practitioners, community partners, and policymakers.
‘What is Engaged Research?’ is a dynamic discussion featuring Sophie Duncan, Co-Director of the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) in the UK, and Professor Catherine Woods, Director of the Physical Activity for Health Research Centre at the University of Limerick, Ireland. The conversation is facilitated by Dr Gordon Cooke, Research Impact Lead & Principal Investigator for Engagement and Impact at TU Dublin.
The podcast delves into the relevance of engaged research in addressing societal challenges. The speakers unpack what it means to engage with communities in research, discuss best practices, and reflect on the potential of collaborative research to drive positive societal change.
Tune in and be inspired now on Spotify (or you can read the transcript).
Photo from left to right: (in person) Britney Madondo (TU Dublin 4th year Film and Broadcasting student who supported recording and editing) and Gordon Cooke; (on-screen) Sophie Duncan and Catherine Woods.
Greenhouse for Engaged Research in Education (GERE)
This new initiative from TU Dublin’s Engaged Research Network, in collaboration with the Learning, Teaching and Assessment team, ran in March 2025. GERE supported lecturers planning or doing external engagement in their teaching to work with stakeholders to evaluate the impact of this work. The goal was to encourage lecturers to co-produce research outputs with external partners, such as conference posters, webinars or articles. You can find out more about it here: Greenhouse for Engaged Research in Education
TU Dublin's Engaged Research Network ran a pilot mentoring and peer mentoring programme in 2024/5, to support colleagues to develop their engaged research practices. The pilot involved 3 pairs of colleagues, who met monthly for 6 months. The pilot was evaluated with participants at the end of the academic year.
If you'd like to express your interest in participating in a future mentoring programme, please email catherine.bates@tudublin.ie.
*‘Engaged Research describes a wide range of rigorous research approaches and methodologies that share a common interest in collaborative engagement with the community. It aims to improve, understand, or investigate an issue of public interest or concern, including societal challenges. Engaged research is advanced with community partners rather than for them. ‘Community’ refers to a range of public research stakeholders, including public or professional service and product users, policy makers, civil and civic society organisations (CSOs) and actors’ (Campus Engage, 2017. Engaged Research: Society and Higher Education Working Together to Address Societal Challenges).