Public Engagement
Discussing our research and its implications with the public
We are opening HDBI research to broader questioning and consideration by the public, engaging in discussion about our research, and its implications.
We are also looking for ways to incorporate public feedback into how our research is conducted and communicated.
HDBI public engagement will be embedded within our research and we will be attuned and responsive to societal needs.
We aim to move from a ‘research-promotion’ mode to a more holistic approach, encompassing involvement, dialogue and communications to embrace the difficult conversations about our research and its Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI).
Get involved
Do you have a question about HDBI public engagement? Or do you want to find out how you can get involved yourself?
Please get in touch:
hdbi-pe@bio.cam.ac.uk
Public dialogue
Deliberative and meaningful engagement to understand how people feel about research with human embryos.
Over the course of multiple workshops, we aim to provide an updated account of where public hopes, concerns and aspirations lie when it comes to research with early human embryos that are donated, with consent, to research because they are no longer needed, or are unsuitable, for fertility treatment or embryos that are created for research from donated sperm and eggs.
The Insights Group
This panel of public stakeholders provides an ongoing opportunity for researchers to discuss their work.
We aim to create a truly inclusive environment that will enable mutually beneficial exploration of ideas about ethical, legal and social implications of HDBI research as well as the sensitive and emotional subject matter surrounding the HDBI research and tissue donation process. This gives researchers the opportunity to reflect on and respond to societal concerns about their research as well as providing members of the public with an opportunity to influence how this research is conducted and communicated.
Podcast: ‘Made the Same Way’
Emerging female EMCEEs collaborate with researchers, embracing challenging conversations about HDBI science.
In each episode, a young artist creates an original song or poem which echos their feelings and stimulates curiosity about research in human developmental biology.
Training and workshops
Our programme develops the knowledge, skills and confidence of researchers and public engagement practitioners to discuss HDBI research with the public.
Training includes workshops about Ethical, Legal and Social Implications, ‘Having difficult conversations’, working with the media, and horizon-scanning.
Click here for more information and to access training resources.
HDBI Public Engagement Practitioner Network
The public engagement programme is supported by diverse skills and experiences of public engagement practitioners from HDBI member institutions.
HDBI research is primarily based within 7 ‘host’ institutions across the UK, including: the Babraham Institute, Francis Crick Institute, Newcastle University, University College London, University of Oxford, and the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Gurdon Institute (both part of the University of Cambridge).
