Connecting evidence-minded policymakers with policy-minded researchers
In 2008 the Research Directorate (DG-Research) of the European Commission invited me to help develop a policy-oriented communications initiative for EU-sponsored research projects in socio-economic sciences and humanities (SSH). Welcoming this opportunity, I began working with the Directorate to cultivate communications capacities within the European Research Area. Examples of our ongoing collaboration are featured on this page.
_________________________________________
Communications Guide
Building on previous internal research, DG-Research commissioned me to write a practical communications guide for SSH researchers involved in Framework Program (FP) projects. The 60-page guide “Communicating Research for Evidence-Based Policymaking” was published in May 2010. The booklet is being used as a reference work for SSH project officers and coordinators to plan and implement policy-relevant dissemination activities.
2010, ISBN 978-92-9714858-3
1.41 MB (External link)
Masterclasses
In association with SCOOP (an EU-sponsored communications project), I co-delivered a highly successful series of Communication Masterclasses in Brussels. The policy-oriented workshops (which ran from 2009 to 2012) were designed to meet the needs of Framework Programme research projects.
Policy Briefs
The Policy Brief is an essential textual vehicle for communicating policy-relevant research findings. Since 2008 I have crafted policy briefs for numerous SSH FP research projects. In the process I have helped forge a template capable of meeting the Directorate's complex needs. Designed to facilitate efficient communication of policy-relevant research findings, the revised SSH Policy Brief template provides a format that is coherent and distinctive yet flexible enough to accommodate academic diversity.
News Alert Service
Between 2009 and 2012 I wrote nearly 50 policy-themed articles for SCOOP News Alert, an SSH research monitoring service. The service highlighted policy-relevant findings emerging from FP6 and FP7 research projects.
Rapporteur
I regularly monitor (and sometimes evaluate) dissemination activities undertaken by Framework Program research projects.
DG-Research's Science, Economy and Society Directorate (SES) engaged me as its rapporteur and moderator at Research Connection 2009 in Prague. I produced a 20-page summary of the conference's keynotes and SES sessions.
Summary of the sessions at the Research Connection Conference, Prague, 7-8 May 2009 (316 KB)(External link)
Advisory Boards
(EU-funded research projects)
I currently serve on the advisory board of:
ACCEPT Pluralism
Exploring tolerance of ethnic, racial and religious diversity in 14 EU member states (BG, CY, DK, FR, DE, EL, IE, IT, NL, RO, PL, ES, SE, UK) and Turkey.
I served on the advisory board of the completed project:
Identities and Modernities in Europe
Investigating European identities (what they are, how they formed, what trajectories they are taking ) in seven EU member states (BG, FI, FR, DE, EL, HU,UK) plus Croatia and Turkey.