Image: Dr Grace Mak – Senior Scientific Officer – with Maddie at an ICR public engagement event

By engaging with the public, we can connect with our local community and others who are interested in our work, help inform the decisions people make about science and their health, and inspire the next generation to pursue careers in science and cancer research. We gain a huge amount from engagement too – learning about what aspects of our work matter most to people, and gaining added motivation to do research that benefits patients and the public.

We rely on the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff and students for our public engagement work, and are committed to supporting them to engage meaningfully with the public by offering them training, one-to-one advice and written guidance.

Last year, some 191 staff members and students took part in engagement activities, giving more than 950 hours of their time, and reaching 7,700 members of the public. We now carry out more than 60 public engagement activities each year – a doubling over five years.