The Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) are pleased to invite you to this workshop, in which we will explain the fundamental skills needed for researchers across the university working on music and sound from any disciplinary background to broker relationships with the policy world. This training session will demonstrate the value and power of such research in helping to answer crucial policy questions of the 21st century, from political participation and polarization to community storytelling and the regulation of free speech and protest. We will hear from Professor Naomi Waltham-Smith, a specialist in the politics of listening who has experience of working with policymakers. The OPEN team will also share their insights into research-policy partnerships.

We’ll provide advice on how to map your key stakeholders, to build engagement from your research, and craft outputs of relevance to policymakers. For those interested in learning more, there will be three workshops with policymakers focused on different aspects of music and sound research to be held during the spring and summer.