There is an increasing expectation from Institutions, research funders and the public for researchers in engage with and discuss their research with the public; a requirement to go beyond traditional audiences and engage with “hard to reach” communities. Engagement is not a one way transfer of information but active dialogue between researchers and the community, where they are equal partners and each learns from the other. Effective public engagement has to be learned; it a key transferable skill that can be utilised not only in science but many other careers. This presentation will outline different approaches to creating partnerships in public engagement involving students (undergraduate and postgraduate, researchers), different sections of the community (Lewis et al., 2015), service learning (Lewis et al., 2010), opportunities outside of formal curricula (Spurring et al., 2014), formal and informal settings, patient-public involvement (PPI) initiatives (Lewis et al., 2016) and the use of social media. The benefits of each for all involved will be discussed.