Connecting policymakers and researchers
The Office has an ongoing project, working with the support of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Universities New Zealand, and the Riddet Institute, on improving connections between policymakers and researchers; resources can be found here:
Tools, advice and information to build high performing policy systems: The Policy Project from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is about building a high performing policy system that supports and enables good government decision making. It equips policy practitioners, teams and agencies with tools, information and advice to develop their skills and capability.
Resources from our current project:
1. Recommendations for universities and government to improve knowledge sharing: the research paper ‘Connecting two worlds: enhancing knowledge sharing between academics and policy makers in Aotearoa New Zealand’ by intern Dr Cate Roy and Dr George Slim discusses some of the barriers and enablers at the research/policy interface and presents a set of solutions that are implementable in the Aotearoa New Zealand environment. It concludes with a set of high-level recommendations for universities and government to consider.
2. Policy brief guide and animation to help researchers understand the science policy interface: to help researchers learn more about the science/policy interface and begin the journey of translating their work for a policy audience, intern Dr McKerchar has developed resources for preparing a policy brief (in A3, with animated guide, examples and a template) and a short video animation. The animation, particularly aimed at PhD students and early career researchers, highlights the challenging and complex journey of connecting with policy.
3. Workshop connecting researchers and policymakers: The Office is hosting a series of events to offer opportunities for researchers and policymakers to connect in an informal workshop setting. The focal point of these events is to bridge the gap between evidence and policy by cultivating robust relationships and fostering enduring collaborations. These interactive workshops bring together Chief Science Advisors (CSAs), policymakers, and researchers for discussion of the power of relationships in evidence-based policy.
Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University Wellington – 18 September 2023
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury – 27 September 2023
We gratefully acknowledge the Australasian Research Managers Society (ARMS), Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University Wellington, and Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury for their support in making these workshops possible.
We are in the planning stages for workshops in Ōtepoti | Dunedin and Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland and again in Te Whanganui-a-Tara | Wellington scheduled for early 2024.
Some other helpful resources from Aotearoa New Zealand:
Rauika Māngai: A Guide to Vision Mātauranga
Te Pūtahitanga: A Tiriti-led science-policy approach for Aotearoa New Zealand
Te Tiriti Articles in Practice
Mātauranga and Science – a two-part Special Issue of New Zealand Science Review
Some helpful international resources:
UK Parliament POST: How to write a policy briefing, September 2020
Article ‘Top 20 things scientist need to know about policy making’, Chris Tyler, The Guardian, December 2013
Evans, M.C., Cvitanovic, C. An introduction to achieving policy impact for early career researchers. Palgrave Communications 4, 88 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0144-2
Clancy M., Correa D., Dworkin J., Niehaus P., Watney C., Williams H. Want to speed up scientific progress? First understand how science policy works. Nature 620, 724-726 (2023) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02602-9
Last edited: 27 October 2023