Climate, environment & energy

What matters in environmental science?

In August 2022 the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to work with public participants, environmental scientists and NERC team members to co-design a deliberative process. The purpose was to identify where public input has the most potential to shape environmental science research agendas. The dialogue set out to gain a better understanding of:

• What dialogue participants prioritise and have most interest in in relation to contemporary issues in environmental science

• The rationale between these priorities and interests

• How diverse publics can be involved in NERC decision making

A co-design group was established in the autumn of 2022 and met five times during the course of the design, delivery and reporting of the programme. One of the group’s first tasks was to create a set of co-design principles from inclusivity to fairness. These principles were applied to all aspects of the dialogue, including an culminating ‘open space forum’ in which the group’s final recommendations were developed. The findings for NERC are rich and important in informing their research strategy. Participants see themselves as deeply connected to the work of environmental science and want to know they can be involved in decisions about the future of the planet. An appreciation of the concept behind this dialogue, that NERC puts co-design at the heart of engagement, and that it wants to hear and understand public priorities for environmental science, has been very important to participants. They feel, as a result of taking part in several months of deliberation that their voice has been heard and NERC will take action as a result.

Several outputs were produced by HVM as a result of the dialogue. These can be found by clicking the links below:

• A full report of the findings

• A summary report of the findings

• A slide deck presented at the Communicate conference by HVM and NERC to share the value in co-designing research priorities

• An animation created by Lydia Hopkins Design narrated by participants using their images.

The dialogue groups were from Aberdeenshire, Belfast, Cornwall, Hull & Humberside, Pembrokeshire, the Soar Catchment and the Yorkshire Dales. The reports from each of these locations can also be found by clicking the images below. A report on the findings from the groups in England was also produced.