Global Research Agenda on Knowledge Translation and Evidence-informed Policy-making

Global Research Agenda on Knowledge Translation and Evidence-informed Policy-making

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About

What is the Global Research Agenda?

The Global Research Agenda on Knowledge Translation (KT) and Evidence-informed Policy-making (EIP) is an initiative led by WHO to identify and define research priorities in the fields of KT and EIP and establish a comprehensive research agenda for these areas. The agenda is being developed by experts in research on research use and interest-holders from all WHO regions through a consultative process. The work of identifying and defining research priorities centers on improving efficiencies and synergies in KT research, understanding successful evidence use in policy-making, directing funding to identified priority areas, raising awareness about KT research and evidence use, and enhancing collaboration across the evidence ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to deliver a consensus-based Global Research Agenda that will drive actionable and impactful research on KT and strengthen links between research and policy.

Why do we need a Global Research Agenda?

In today’s era of competing narratives and misinformation, it is crucial that policy is informed by the best available evidence. Despite significant progress in KT and EIP over the years, research findings and other forms of evidence remain underused in policy-making processes. KT research, studying the methods to promote research uptake, faces challenges due to lack of coordination within and across disciplines and actors, leading to both redundant and under-resourced studies. A unified research agenda that provides orientation and guidance in this field is needed to improve strategic collaboration and coordination among interest-holders to drive better policy outcomes. Aligning the research priorities of evidence generators, intermediaries, users, and funders will help break silos, maximize the impact of KT research, and minimize research waste.

How is the Global Research Agenda being developed?

Since 2023, the initiative has been coordinated by the Evidence to Policy and Impact Unit within WHO’s Science Division. The research agenda with 19 high-priority research areas was finalized in early 2025, with the results officially presented during the launch event in May. With the agenda now established and the results being written up into a final report, the focus is shifting toward dissemination and implementation activities.

Global research agenda development phases

Who is involved?

A diverse group of experts in KT and EIP from over 40 countries – representing all WHO regions and spanning health and other social sectors, civil society, academia, government, UN agencies, and international organizations – contributed to the development of the research agenda. Through a consultative process conducted between 2024 and early 2025, they collaboratively identified and refined research priorities, culminating in the creation of the Global Research Agenda.

Global research agenda structure

How can I get involved?

The Global Research Agenda, launched in May 2025, is now ready for action. We invite all interested researchers, funders, policy-makers, practitioners, and interest-holders to engage with the agenda and support its dissemination and implementation. Use the slide deck provided on this website to support sharing and dissemination. Visit the Global Coalition for Evidence to follow implementation efforts, and join the EVIPNet LinkedIn group to stay informed about upcoming announcements and updates. Questions or ideas? Contact the WHO Secretariat at eidm@who.int.

 

In their own words: Interest-holder reflections on the GRA

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An important part is bringing on board groups that are already very much involved in knowledge translation, [...] groups that would steer the contextualization of this global agenda to the region.

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Rose Oronje
Director of Public Policy and Knowledge Translation at the African Institute of Development Policy
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A critical first step in adapting the Global Research Agenda to regional and national context would be the active engagement of research institutions, government bodies and other relevant stakeholders in the adaptation process.

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Walid Ammar
Director of the Doctorate and Research in Public Health Program at St. Joseph University in Beirut and former Director General of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health
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The first step must be to ensure that there is widespread acceptance of the agenda among national and regional stakeholders, that is, they must be convinced of the value of the agenda before there is really true buy-in.

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Donald Simeon
Director, Caribbean Centre for Health Systems Research and Development, University of the West Indies
 
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Although we have identified a number of evidence gaps through this research, we know a huge amount already, and one of the key lessons for researchers in this field is, we need to learn better how to share the lessons that we have already generated.

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Kathryn Oliver
Professor of Evidence and Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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I think the funding stream that's looking promising [...] is the potential role of Asian philanthropies, [...] especially through an organization called the APC, the Asian Philanthropy Circle. And what they try to do is to link researchers with potential funders amongst Asia's leading philanthropies.

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Tikki Pangestu
Visiting Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
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I'm hopeful that with a really comprehensive and accessible agenda like this one we'll see even more funders recognize these as valuable areas of investment [...]. For those seeking funding, I encourage embracing unusual partnerships. These questions transcend geography and issue areas.

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Angela Bednarek
Director of Scientific Advancement at Pew Charitable Trust
 
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Access to and translation of the best available, up-to-date scientific evidence for people and policy-makers everywhere is critical to ensure equity in Health for All and is central to all of WHO's work. This is something I and everyone at WHO passionately believe in. With great credit to the wonderful team at WHO and all our partners who have driven this forward ensuring that the approach and integration of evidence into policy can be a reality everywhere.

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Jeremy Farrar
Former WHO Chief Scientist and Assistant Director General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention & Control