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Supporting Science, Impacting Policy (SSIP)| An International Seminar Series

Supporting Science, Impacting Policy (SSIP) is an ENLIGHT+ funded international seminar series on translating research to policy. The series will explore how universities support their researchers in navigating the complex research policy interface across ENLIGHT universities to promote evidence-based policy decisions by national agencies and the government. This initiative will foster peer learning and international collaboration on effective and innovative engagement strategies and mechanisms between researchers and policymakers. With this overarching goal, SSIP brings together three ENLIGHT partner universities to build a community of similarly focused academics, facilitating the exchange of ideas, sharing of insights, and exploration of commonalities and differences across countries through a series of interdisciplinary talks at each partner university. 

Project Overview 

At its core, SSIP recognises the vital role of science in society and the need for decision‑making grounded in robust evidence to respond to today’s major societal challenges. It highlights the growing need for researchers to engage effectively in policy decisions. From the perspective of higher education institutions, a wide range of initiatives are being undertaken to support researchers and provide them with the structures, systems and support to support and sustain researcher-policymaker interactions, particularly for Early Career Researchers (ERCs), the next generation of research leaders. This project provides an opportunity to build a community of academics across three ENLIGHT partner universities who share their focus on research-policy engagement. 

Seminar Series Plan 

There will be three interdisciplinary seminars, with each one hosted by one of the partner universities. The sessions will feature various elements of research-policy engagement, training and support, real-world examples of challenges and successes by both the host institution and visiting partners. It will also focus on science communication skills, policy systems and process and pathways to impact, as well as the intersections between engaged research practices and research-policy engagement.  

The seminars will be in-person and will offer significant opportunities for mutual learning and the identification of future avenues for collaboration across the ENLIGHT network. Each session will be recorded, and post-event key highlights will be made available to view here.  

Project Partners 

ERPI Study, ILAS, University of Galway, Ireland 

The study explores how individual researchers in Ireland engage with policymakers at a national level and beyond, and how to better support the next generation of scientists to engage effectively with policymakers. To find out more, visit: Engaged Research for Policy Impact (ERPI) - University of Galway 

ANSER, Ghent University, Belgium 

As a global, multidisciplinary Academic Network on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ANSER) policies dedicated to advancing evidence-based policymaking, brings in more than 10 years of experience in bridging the gap between science and policy. To find out more, visit: https://www.ugent.be/anser/en 

Department of Political Science, Comenius University Bratislava, Slovakia 

Daniel Klimovský’s work at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts in Comenius University, is focused on public policy and policy making practices in Slovakia. Daniel’s Policy Making in Slovakia undergraduate course received an ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning Award 2024. 

Important Dates 

For more information, and to become involved in the SSIP initiative 

Contact: Dr Brendan Dolan, Principal Investigator, ILAS, University of Galway (brendan.dolan@universityofgalway.ie) 

Register your interest in seminar-2 here.