Centre for Science, Knowledge and Policy
Welcome to SKAPE
The Centre for Science, Knowledge and Policy at Edinburgh (SKAPE) brings together academic researchers across a range of disciplines, as well as policy practitioners, to examine the relationships and intersections between different types of science and knowledges on policy. With a membership of over 130 academics and practitioners, SKAPE is committed to exploring and sharing ideas across universities, policy institutions and the wider public to improve the use of knowledge and evidence in democratic decision-making.
Research from SKAPE members covers a range of topics, including research on climate change, energy systems, migration policy, public health, environmental politics, education, international development, and more.
SKAPE Publications
Scoping Impact: An International Study of Contemporary Definitions and Conceptualisations of Impact by Funders of Social Science Research
In 2023, SKAPE was commissioned by the ESRC to carry out this international review. We are delighted to announce its publication by both the Innovation and Research Caucus and SKAPE.
You can read our blog piece on the publication and download a copy by clicking the button below.
Blogs, perspectives and opinion
Lived experience as evidence in anti-poverty policy making: a governance-driven perspective
By Clementine O’Connor and Hayley Bennett In early 2025 we gave a SKAPE presentation called ‘Lived Experience as Evidence’ at Edinburgh Uni. We focussed on exploring the differences
SKAPE Workshop Sparks New Research Outputs on ‘Cultures of Evidence’
By Kat Smith, Niklas Andersen and Valérie Pattyn. In June 2022, the University of Edinburgh played host to a vibrant workshop on “cultures of evidence,”
Scoping Impact – An International Study of Contemporary Definitions and Conceptualisations of Impact by Funders of Social Science Research
By Nathan Coombs, Hilary MacDonogh, and Eugénia Rodrigues. Incentivising and supporting the ‘impact’ of social science research has become an objective for funding bodies in