4.I. Skills building seminar: Sharp Pencils, Clear Minds: Translating research to policy through effective policy briefs
Authors:   Organised by: Sciensano (Belgium), EUPHA-CHR, EUPHAnxt,   Chair persons: Julian Mamo (EUPHA-CHR), Jinane Ghattas (EUPHAnxt)
Published: October 2023

National health information collect evidence on population health, health determinants and health system performance needed for designing public health interventions and decision-making. However, It can be difficult to ensure that routinely obtained data are suitable for use in decision-making. This can result in a large gap between research outputs and its utilization by policymakers. Over the course of the past years, a variety of knowledge translation initiatives supporting better use of research in policy-making processes have emerged. A popular strategy that has attracted attention as a tool to bridge the knowledge and policy gap between researchers and policy-makers is the policy brief. A policy brief is informative, credible and easy to grasp short document summarizing relevant studies. It is usually addressed to people working in government who may know little about a certain topic and need to express an opinion and make a quick decision. A policy brief's typical format includes a background synthesizing the problem, the stakeholders involved, and recommendations. It is intended to facilitate the use of evidence in the public policy process. Policy briefs have grown in popularity, especially among early career researchers and public health professionals, as a tool to disseminate their research and reach out to policy-makers, so that their research can have a tangible impact on policy design and implementation. In this interactive skills building seminar, we will share with the participants the knowledge, skills, and process of writing effective policy briefs. We will use the experience of the Belgian Cancer Centre of Sciensano as a case study. In the context of the Belgian Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) Mirror Group, Sciensano developed a series of policy briefs outlining the major activities and initiatives related to cancer care. In these policy briefs, the gaps in cancer care and their consequences were analysed, and provide key recommendations to be taken by policy and decision-makers to improve the status quo and respond to the gaps were identified. This process of policy brief writing was conducted in a participatory approach with input from actors working in cancer care across Belgium. The seminar will start with a presentation on the Belgian EBCP Mirror Group experience. Based on the Belgian EBCP Mirror Group example, the seminar will include an interactive session exploring the key elements of an effective policy brief writing, followed by group work with the audience to co-produce policy briefs in their areas of expertise.

Key messages

• Policy briefs are informative, credible and easy to grasp short documents summarizing relevant studies.

• Policy briefs are knowledge transfer tools that optimise evidence use and research uptake during the process of policy-making.

Speakers/Panelists

Marie Delnord

Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium

Gabrielle Schittecatte

Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium