Science Laboratory
CABI, SciDev.Net and the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa (HSRC) are teaming up to deliver a training and mentorship programme to help in the writing of effective policy briefs from research and innovation.
The training and mentorship programme is aimed at developing the capacity of Science Granting Councils (SGCs) and researchers supported by the Science Granting Council Initiative (SGCI) to write effective policy briefs and bring them to the attention of the right policymakers.
Confidence and competence to influence policy decisions
This programme is expected to increase their confidence and competence to influence policy decisions and achieve more socio-economic impact with their research.
The training and mentorship will be delivered jointly by CABI/SciDev.Net and HSRC. CABI/SciDev.Net will take leadership in delivering the training while HSRC will oversee coaching and mentorship.
CABI/SciDev.Net will combine an online practical guide with a training webinar to facilitate efficient learning that takes into consideration the time constraints of busy scientists and research administrators.
The practical guide will be a 2000-word step-by-step instruction on how to conceptualize and write an effective policy brief.
Webinar will be one hour of highly interactive engagement
The webinar will be one hour of highly interactive engagement including a presentation, live demonstration, learning activities, Q&A, experience sharing, peer learning, participant feedback and homework assignment.
For further reference, all participants will receive a package that includes the practical guide, webinar recording and presentation on the training topic.
During the training session, participants will be given a home-work assignment to produce policy briefs based on their most recent research studies or innovations. A competent HSRC coaching and mentoring team will give them personalized guidance and support.
This will include helping them to craft a key message from their policy brief, reviewing their write-ups, giving them constructive feedback, and pointing them to other valuable resources.
Communicated clearly, concisely and timely for maximum impact
Dr Charles Wendo, SciDev.Net training coordinator, said, “In today’s highly competitive research and development environment it is essential that new science and innovation is communicated clearly, concisely and timely for maximum impact.
“Part of this work is to increase capacity and competency in crafting well-structured, clear and relevant policy briefings that can catch the attention of policymakers and lead the research and innovation towards real and meaningful change.
“A Script scoping study for a Science Media Centre for East Africa conducted in 2020 identified skills shortage as the main impediment to good science communication in the region and this training and mentoring programme is part of the desire to rectify that.”
Authority on the link between science and development
Back in July 2023 it was announced that SciDev.Net would help members of the SGCI in sub-Saharan Africa better communicate their research to the media, policymakers and the wider public.
SciDev.Net – whose Script training programme already provides free training and networking resources for journalists, scientists to communicate science in an engaging and accurate way – is delivering training to 18 Science Granting Councils in 17 countries.
The aim is to enhance their ability to increase the visibility of their work and position them as the authority on the link between science and development in their respective country.
The SGCI is a multilateral initiative that was established in 2015 to strengthen the institutional capacities of public science funding agencies in sub-Saharan Africa.
This is to support research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to economic and social development.
Additional information
Main image: (Credit: Getty Images).
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About SciDev.Net
SciDev.Net is the world’s leading source of reliable and authoritative news, views and analysis about science and technology for global development.
Our Mission is to use independent journalism to help individuals and organisations apply science to decision-making to drive equitable, sustainable development and poverty reduction. SciDev.Net is part of CAB International (CABI) – a not-for-profit organisation that improves people’s lives worldwide by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment.
SciDev.Net operates editorially independently from CABI with its content overseen by an independent Editorial Advisory Committee whose role is to ensure our editorial independence protocol is adhered to. The protocol is available on request.