Our speaker on Thursday 8th December (16.00 in CESR2) will be Professor Annette Boaz of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Her talk will follow on nicely from the excellent talk we received earlier this term from her colleague Kathryn Oliver, focusing on how research gets into policy and practice. This will be very useful if you are interested in research impact, especially in adult social care.
Title: Assembling the pieces: developing systems that support research use in policy
After many years of debate about the merits of Evidence Based Policy, there is a growing consensus that the relationship between research and policy is complex and non-linear, with politics as a constant factor (as opposed to something to be controlled). With this shift comes a growing interest in approaches that build stronger links between those who produce research, those who use research and those who are the intended beneficiaries of research. This theme of increasing engagement between the producers and potential users of research is accompanied by a recognition that robust systems are needed to support research use in policy. What do better relationships look like? What systems changes are needed to support the use of research in policy and finally, what elements continue to stand in the way of better use of research evidence? This presentation will draw on more than 20 years of experience promoting the use of research in policy and practice and insights from current work as a knowledge mobiliser within the UK government.