IRSPM Research Impact Online Seminar - Tuesday, 2 December 2025
We invite you to engage in this IRSPM Research Seminar to discuss how we can use evidence to improve public policies and services.
Impacting policy and practice – from evidence-based to evidence informed?
Tuesday, 2 December 2025
10:00 - 11:30 CET
Access to the seminar is reserved to IRSPM members only.
All IRSPM members have recieved the Zoom link to their email addresses associated with their IRSPM membership account.
Although we are seeing major challenges to the role of scientific evidence in national policy debates, academics are increasingly encouraged to demonstrate research impact. As Annette Boaz argues, this may require rethinking traditional approaches to ‘evidence-based’ public policies and practice. Brian Head will focus on how academics could influence public managers to accept that evidence is diverse and contestable, particularly when dealing with complex issues. Following the presentations you will be invited to debate barriers to and enablers of the use of evidence from research and to identify colleagues who are interested in taking new ideas forward collaboratively in the IRSPM community.
Programme
10.00-10.10 Why research impact matters – Introduction by Elke Loeffler
10.10-10.25 Annette Boaz, Kings College London: Shifting from evidence-based to evidence-
informed policy and practice?
10.25-10.35 Q&A
10.35-10.50 Brian Head, University of Queensland: Convincing public managers that we
can’t ‘solve’ wicked problems – just manage them better
10.50-11.00 Q&A
11.00-11.30 Discussion: Pathways to Research Impact: Ideas for new IRSPM Collaboratives
Bios of Speakers / Facilitator
Brian Head is Professor of Public Policy at the University of Queensland, in Brisbane Australia. He has worked in several policy analysis and knowledge translation organisations, across three sectors – government, academia, and community services. He has written widely on promoting the use of best-available evidence in policy analysis, including a focus on research impact and knowledge translation.
Annette Boaz is Professor of Health and Social Care and Director of the NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit at King’s College London. She has more than 25 years of experience in supporting the use of evidence across a range of policy domains. She has undertaken an international leadership role in promoting the use of evidence, including publishing a book on evidence use ‘What Works Now’ and co-leading Transforming Evidence with Kathryn Oliver.
Elke Loeffler is an Associate of the Institute for Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham and Director of the research-led nonprofit organisation Governance International. She has led the development of the Governance International case study hub with more than 80 case studies and undertaken leadership roles promoting research impact and partnership working at Strathclyde Business School and The Open University.