Principles

The Wellcome Trust encourages researchers to expand access and usefulness of research evidence for policy makers and other relevant stakeholders.

A common goal of policy engagement in this vein is to allow policy makers to consider options informed by research. This approach requires researchers to adopt a broad approach that fosters policy makers' access to and understanding of the wider evidence base. Although research rarely feeds directly into policy making, the process by which it can influence policy can be strategically managed by researchers based on the general principles outlined below.

It is always important to consider the most appropriate policy makers to reach regarding a given issue; they operate in fields ranging from health services to science policy. The term 'policy maker' may refer to political elected officials or appointees, but it may also cover civil servants in decision-making roles at various levels of Government. There are many 'entry points' to influencing policy that don't start with contacting the policy makers directly, however; the media, lobby groups and the public are all relevant stakeholders whose views may be important to those ultimately responsible for decisions, and for this reason it is helpful to think broadly about who might play this part and might be more accessible (see what is policy?).

• Key factors
• Putting it into practice
• Resources

Key factors

Promoting the use of evidence in policy making in any setting requires a dynamic approach, responsive to the level of information appropriate to individual policy makers and groups, as well as timing considerations.

Based on our own experiences of working with policy makers, and those of our funded researchers, we have identified five key success factors that we believe are most important.

1. Commitment and credibility

• Ultimately, good policy depends on good evidence - researchers should always ensure their research is robust and their findings are subjected to proper peer review.
• Independent academic credibility is crucial for researchers’ work to be considered seriously by policy makers and other users.
• Likewise, research findings of any type need to be seen as independent and reliable to be taken up.

2. Timeliness and early engagement

• To influence policy, research evidence needs to be available at a time when the issues it addresses are of active concern to policy makers. For example, heightened media coverage around a health- or science-related issue of interest may raise policy makers’ interest in addressing it.
• Consider windows of opportunity. For example, an opportune time to target policy makers may be just before the local or national budget is scheduled to be discussed. However, for more high-level policy makers, the most effective approach may involve investing in relationships long before key decisions are made.
• Engage early. Experience suggests that researchers who plan how to engage with policy makers while planning the research itself maximise exposure to their work as it is delivered. The early approach brings the advantage of access to policy makers’ insight that may help develop research objectives in tune with the environment.

3. Understanding the political context

• Researchers who understand the processes and key players involved in the policy-making context in which they operate are in a better position to identify the right people to engage with. A history of work focused on the region or country of interest is one way of developing this understanding.
• Policy makers are more likely to pay attention to evidence that relates to specific issues that are of concern at a particular moment in time or will be at a known point in the future. One example might be briefing an MP on recent studies about transmission dynamics of HIV/AIDS during a period in which activists have been drawing greater attention to wider issues surrounding HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.

4. Networks and intermediaries to leverage influence

• Networks and other types of policy 'intermediaries' (which can include non-governmental organisations, commercial public relations consultancies, specialist facilitators in institutions and funding agencies themselves) can play an important part in facilitating uptake.
• In particular, it is important to consider:
  - What groups or individuals already have influence over the key policy makers?
  - Do you or your collaborators have access to them?
  - Is there a gap in terms of evidence available to policy makers in this field?
  - Can you establish a group of individuals or institutions with the appropriate expertise to form a network?

5. Targeted dissemination strategies

• Careful planning to identify key stakeholder groups, build networks and develop dissemination approaches tailored to the specific interests of users can help to increase the chances of uptake.
• Identify the exact policy makers with influence over their area of interest and at the appropriate level of seniority. Identify how these individuals or groups gather information. Are there information sources, such as briefings, where you could submit evidence? Are there key advisers to the policy makers with whom you could meet?
• Ensure the information you provide is targeted appropriately at the audience you are trying to reach - in terms of pitch and level of detail. For senior policy makers and advisers, it is often essential to be able to summarise key arguments into a one-page briefing or a small number of bullet points.

Putting it into practice

Researchers interested in communicating more effectively with policy makers may begin by:

• Considering your field of research: what areas fit into their current policy agenda (the legislation or services that are of current interest)?
• Familiarising yourself with the key policy makers (and support staff) who could make most use of your work, and try to find out how each of them takes in information. For example, is there a particular periodical (internal or public) that you can provide content for?
• If you have access to particular policy makers, discuss with them what their policy interests are.
• Identify whether your institution has expertise in, or colleagues responsible for, policy engagement. Discuss with your colleagues and peers whether they have experience working with 'knowledge brokers' or intermediaries who may have valuable links and experience working with policy makers or synthesising research.

Resources

Here are some resources that discuss the above themes in more detail.

Science and Development Network
The regularly updated website Science Communication: Influencing policymakers covers a wide range of topics relevant to encouraging the uptake of science-based policy in terms of international development. It includes recent news articles and editorials, as well as practical tools.

National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement
This resource provides guidelines, practical tips and definitions of key technical terms for engagement with policy makers.

The Department for International Development
The UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID) has a Research for Development division, whose webpages cover the broad principles underlying encouraging research uptake in policy and link to a series of articles and case studies that give detailed, practical examples.

The International Development Research Centre
Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has created Bridging the Know-Do Gap: A resource for researchers [PDF], which gives a comprehensive overview of knowledge translation and how the principles behind it can be put to use with tried-and-tested strategies.

The IDRC has also developed a toolkit for researchers, which aims to help researchers develop strategic communication skills, including step-by-step guides to writing a policy brief and dealing with the media.

Natural Environment Research Council
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has developed a science into policy booklet [PDF] with detailed overviews of the principles, and key roles, involved in communicating with policy makers (primarily at national levels, but also at local and international levels).

Asian Development Bank
A free e-book, Methods for Enriching Policy with Research [PDF], covers the key principles underlying effective communication with policy makers in international development settings.

Overseas Development Institute
A briefing paper from 2009, Helping Researchers become Policy Entrepreneurs [PDF], provides a researcher’s practical guide to developing effective engagement strategies, including a mapping approach used by the think-tank’s policy uptake unit.

This book chapter, entitled Bridging research and policy in international development: context, evidence and links [PDF], gives an overview of the wider context in which evidence can be useful in policy making as it relates to international development.

International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications
The newsletter Science into Policy and Policy into Science [PDF] contains discussions about the roles of knowledge intermediaries, the role of the media in promoting science and other relevant issues.

Newton's Apple
Newton’s Apple Think Tank was founded by a group who recognised the need for a better understanding between scientists and those making policies that depend on, or should be informed by, good scientific evidence.