Welcome to KESS

…a forum that encourages debate on a wide range of academic research findings, with the overall aim of promoting evidence-informed policy and law-making within Northern Ireland.

Latest News

2026 KESS PROGRAMME

… is now available
The Knowledge Exchange Seminar Series (KESS)
will resume on 22 April 2026. Book Now!

Seminar information

The 2026 KESS Programme will feature eight themed seminars, from 22 April – 24 June 2026, which will be jointly delivered by the Research and Information Service (RaISe) in the Northern Ireland Assembly (the Assembly) and the five local university – Queen’s University of Belfast (Queen’s), Ulster University (Ulster), The Open University (OU), Stranmillis University College (Stranmillis) and St Mary’s University College Belfast (St Mary’s). Full Programme details will be published shortly. (continue reading)

About

The Assembly’s Research and Information Service (RaISe) jointly delivers KESS with the Queen’s University of Belfast (QUB – co-founder 2011), Ulster University (Ulster – 2012), The Open University (OU – 2013), St. Mary’s University College (2018) and Stranmillis University College (2018). It is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, formally partnering a legislative arm of government – the Assembly – with academia.

Aiming to promote evidence-informed policy and law-making, KESS provides a forum in which academics present their research findings in a straightforward format, on issues that are relevant to governance in Northern Ireland. It seeks to bring those findings to the attention of key participants and decision-makers, including MLAs, the wider public sector and others, in a “safe space” that encourages discussion, fosters improved understanding and seeks to enable opportunities for more in-depth engagement in future.