Research For Policy Seminar Series- 10

    Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - 11:00 to 12:15
    MUSSI seminar room Iontas Building & online
    Research for Policy Seminar Series 
    This session of the Policy Seminar series is on Wednesday 28 May – 11-12.15 – Professor Seán Ó Riain (Department of Sociology, Maynooth University) will discuss the approaches that he has undertaken in engaging with policy-makers across his career and Dr. Rory O’Donnell (former Director of the National Economic and Social Council) will reflect on his experiences of working with Professor Ó Riain and other academics/researchers.

     
    Professor Mark Boyle and Seán Ó Foghlú of the Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, in conjunction with Maynooth University Research Development Office, are organising a series of seminars from February to May 2025. The seminar series explores practices in Research for Policy, giving researchers from Maynooth University and the policy-makers in Government Departments that they have been working with an opportunity to discuss their experiences of working together and to reflect on what they have achieved and what they have learned.
     
    The seminar series is aimed at academics/researchers and policy-makers seeking to understand how interaction between academics/researchers and policy-makers works and has been designed to enable those interested to engage with examples of such engagement that they may be interested in.
    The series follows on the previous series of seminars from September to November 2024.(You can watch back here)
     
    The seminars will all be held in a hybrid fashion - in person in the Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute (on the top floor of the Iontas building) and online. Tea/coffee will be available in advance of the seminars.
     
    Details of the seminar series are as follows:
     
    Wednesday 12 February – 11-12.15 – Professor Rob Kitchin (Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute) will discuss the approaches that he has undertaken in engaging with policy-makers across his career and Niall Cussen (Chief Executive Officer, Office of the Planning Regulator) will reflect on his experiences of working with Professor Kitchin and other academics/researchers

    Thursday 6 March – 11-12.15 – Dr. Inez Bailey (Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Effective Services) and academics with whom the Centre has worked will jointly present about working together on evaluations undertaken on behalf of Government Departments on the implementation of state-funded services

    Wednesday 2 April – 11-12.15 – Dr. Gerry Clabby, Principal Advisor and Dr. Jennifer Brennan, Assistant Principal Officer (both in the Environment and Climate Research and Advisory Unit in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications) will outline the strategic approach that the Department is advancing to engage with the research community and reflect on the further development of this and academics in Maynooth – Professor Tim McCarthy, Professor Rowan Fealy & Professor Jennie Stephens – will reflect on their related experiences and on opportunities for working together.

    Wednesday 16 April – 10.15 to 13.00 – A seminar will take place to reflect on the 1995 White Paper on Education, 30 years after its publication. The aim of the seminar is to seek to hear the perspectives of some of those leading work at the time in the Department of Education and those involved with the National Education Convention. Furthermore, the aim is to hear from those leading the organisation of education services and the implementation of education reform in subsequent years, as well as experts on these issues. *Places are limited for this seminar and it may not be possible for everyone who wants to attend in person to do so

    Wednesday 28 May – 11-12.15 – Professor Seán Ó Riain (Department of Sociology, Maynooth University) will discuss the approaches that he has undertaken in engaging with policy-makers across his career and Dr. Rory O’Donnell (former Director of the National Economic and Social Council) will reflect on his experiences of working with Professor Ó Riain and other academics/researchers.

     
    The seminar series is aimed at academics/researchers and policy-makers seeking to understand how interaction between academics/researchers and policy-makers works and has been designed to enable those interested to engage with examples of such engagement that they may be interested in.
     
    Registration is open here

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