Professor Sara Burke, co-presented at an event organised by the Irish Behavioural Science Policy Network and the Department of Health on 11 June 2024. Entitled ‘It ain’t (just) what you do, it’s the way that you do it’, Professor Burke and Professor Molly Byrne from University of Galway provided two case studies on co-producing research and evidence for policy with the Department of Health and the HSE from their Health Research Board (HRB) Applied Partnerships Award. The HRB’s head of policy and strategy, Dr Teresa Maguire spoke about the significant advances made in research-policy interactions in Ireland, while Professor Burke spoke about her co-production experience with the Foundations research programme she leads, highlighting the importance of being responsive to emerging policy-maker needs as well as recognising how co-production is frequently an iterative process that requires an adaptive approach to research. Prof Molly Byrne detailed their collaborative strategy to optimise and scale up the national Making Every Contact Count (MECC) Programme, and the importance of relationship building and partnership for managing tensions and gaining credibility for and ownership of interventions. And in closing before the Q&A, Sarah Treleaven provided us with insights on the opportunities and challenges of engaging with a wider set of stakeholders to inform the design of the Regions policy, specifically patient representatives and voluntary organisations. Common terms and phrases across all presentations and the Q&A were partnership, responsiveness, trust building and reflection, pointing to the sometimes neglected but crucial soft skills required for research informed policy (and policy informed research!). The session was recorded and will soon be available on the website, which you can access through the QR code in the image.
