Policy Training and Funding

• Interested in learning more about how your science can inform policy?
• Do you want to experience policy-making first hand?

Graduate

Join the BES External Affairs Team as an intern for up to three months and gain invaluable experience of working at the interface between science and policy. This is a great opportunity for anyone considering a career in policy, or in research, who is interested in finding out  how science can inform sound decision-making.

PhD

If you are in the second or third year of your PhD, consider applying for our annual Fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). The BES pays £5,000 to support you as you research and write a briefing note for MPs and Peers, or contribute to a parliamentary inquiry. You will be working in the heart of Westminster.

Post-doctoral (BES Members Only)

Shadow a Minister, MP, MEP or Policy Advisor on our annual Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme.

Members of the BES at an early stage in their research careers can gain invaluable experience, observing first-hand the ways scientific information is used in decision-making. This is a great chance for you to develop contacts and to find out how your research could be used by Government to inform policy development.

Policy Training Workshop

The BES and NERC run a tailored policy-training workshop for PhD students and early-career researchers each year.

Public Engagement

The BES reward excellent performance in public engagement with the annual Ecological Engagement Award.

Our Outreach Grant provides up to £2,000 to projects aiming to enthuse and educate the public about the excitement of ecological science.