Members of the Senedd (MSs) and Senedd staff are interested in research that’s relevant to current issues on the parliamentary agenda, and matters that affect their constituents.
The Senedd engages with researchers who have expertise in their field, and welcomes contributions from people from different career stages, disciplines, institutions and backgrounds.
Here are some top tips for getting involved with the Senedd’s work:
Keep up to date with the Senedd’s work
The Senedd is a dynamic, fast paced institution where a range of issues affecting the people of Wales are discussed at any one time.
By keeping up to date with what’s being discussed, you’ll find out when the best time to engage with the Senedd to maximise the impact that your knowledge can have.
Find out what’s happening in the Senedd by:
- Following the Senedd, Senedd Research and the Senedd’s committees on social media;
- Subscribing to Senedd committees’ current consultations;
- Sign up to Senedd Committee’s Areas of Research Interest (ARIs);
- Receiving notifications of Senedd Research’s publications, and
- Seeing what’s coming up in Plenary each week through the business statements and agendas.
Know who to contact
There are different routes you can take to engage with the Senedd, including with Senedd Research, Members of the Senedd, Senedd committees, and cross-party groups.
Members of the Senedd
You can look up a Member’s profile which shows which Committees and Cross-party groups they are part of along with their own interests. You can arrange to meet with a Member either at their constituency office or the Senedd and can attend events they organise.
Senedd committees
Committees are made up of Members from different political parties.
Each committee is set up to look into a broad policy area, such as health or education, and it will scrutinise proposed laws and carry out inquiries in that area.
You can get involved with the work of a committee by:
- Submitting evidence when a committee is collecting views and information on a topic; and
- Being asked to be a witness to give evidence at a committee meeting if your research is relevant to the topic being discussed.
Cross-party groups
Cross-party groups are formed when a number of Members come together to focus on a specific topic. Cross-party groups are less formal than committees and don’t form part of formal Senedd business.
They are a useful way for Members to discuss topics that are relevant to the Senedd’s work and subject experts can be invited to join the discussions.
There is a list of registered cross-party groups which includes the membership and contact details. You can either contact the group directly or speak to an individual member of the group.
Senedd Research
Senedd Research is a research and information service based in the Senedd.
We provide impartial research, analysis, statistical and library services to help Members of the Senedd and their staff in all their parliamentary roles.
Each year Senedd Research puts out a call for applicants to the Academic Fellowship scheme. This allows a senior (post-PhD) academic to spend time working on a specific project with our researchers. Keep an eye out for key dates and take a look at the work of previous Fellows.
We have a COVID Register of Experts to support scrutiny in relation to the pandemic.
You can also become a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) PhD Intern with Senedd Research.
You can get in touch with our researchers directly to make them aware of your research, and you could be asked to write a guest article.
More information
The Campaign for Social Science guide on Pathways to Impact has some useful specific tips on engaging with the Senedd and the Welsh Government.
