Breckon, Jonathan; Chaytor, Sarah; Clarke, Alison; Durrant, Hannah; Stevenson, Olivia; (2025) Hidden Talents: Core Competencies of Knowledge Mobilisers Working in Public Policy. UCL Public Policy: London, UK.

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Abstract

Evidence is essential for effective policymaking at all levels of government. Connecting decisionmakers to the wealth of research generated by universities is critical to ensuring that they can access, interpret and apply that evidence to inform policy development and decisions. In the UK, this requires universities to pay attention to the ways in which they can connect their research knowledge to public policymaking. In many cases, such ‘academic-policy engagement’ is undertaken by ‘third space professionals’ (Whitchurch, 2008, 2013) working at the interface between academic research and public policymaking. Often referred to as ‘knowledge brokers’ or ‘knowledge mobilisers’, within universities these roles remain poorly understood and largely invisible, with no defined career pathway and little formal recognition of their contributions (Flinders & Chaytor, 2021). However, knowledge mobilisers act as vital ‘go-betweens’, critical for bridging the different research and policymaking/practitioner communities identified by Caplan (1979). They serve as the ‘connective tissue’, convening different forms of expertise and sustaining relationships (Chaytor, 2024). The rapid expansion of the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN) over the past six years and the ongoing growth of policy engagement units (Durrant & MacKillop, 2022) point to a growing community of knowledge mobilisation practitioners. This also includes those performing knowledge mobiliser roles within government and other policy organisations. Increasing engagement with CAPE resources underlines this, having received over 6500 downloads. Despite this growth of interest and investment in knowledge mobilisers, we still do not properly understand the skills and competencies of this role. This report seeks to address this challenge by setting out the core competencies of a knowledge mobiliser working on public policy. The five core competencies we identify are simplified illustrations and not exhaustive. They should not be ‘idealised’ in a rapidly changing and evolving field of work, but aim to make more visible the role and competencies of knowledge mobilisers. The list is short to highlight some of the most important features of the roles. This report draws on 21 interviews (Annex A) with knowledge mobilisers, analysis of 100 job descriptions of knowledge mobilisers relating to public policy (Annex B), a review of the literature (see Bibliography), and our own varied personal experience as UK-based knowledge mobilisers.

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