Wellesley has done many workshops over the years on how to maximize the policy impact of research. This was always an important theme of our community-based research capacity building workshops and we have customized many workshops for particular audiences.
I was on a panel for the CIHR Centre for REACH on HIV/AIDS and highlighted seven key messages — to ensure research has a real impact on policy requires:
1. getting research findings to the right people – in terms they can use
2. understanding the environment in which govt policy decisions are made
3. being able to identify the policy implications of your research and to translate that into concrete policy options to solve the problems you have found
4. assessing the most effective – and winnable – policy options
5. being able to make an effective – and winning — case for your policy recommendations
6. partnering with those with specific policy and knowledge exchange expertise and experience
7. tying research and policy advocacy into wider campaigns and alliances for social change will maximize its impact