Translating science into policy

How we are working with research teams to develop and communicate policies to improve the health of the population

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Diabetes – a major health challenge

Diabetes is a chronic disease that impacts millions of lives across the globe, and November is diabetes awareness month. It’s one of the major health and development challenges of this century. Research and development are critical in helping us develop new evidence-based policies to help change this situation. Beta is working with eminent research groups across Europe and Australia to help them translate research outcomes into policy options, with a big focus on diabetes.

How we are supporting diabetes projects

Our communications and policy experts are working in some inspiring collaborations, funded by the EU’s research programme Horizon 2020.

 

DynaHEALTH, which concluded last year, focused on healthy and active ageing through understanding how we can reduce our risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes in later life. The Beta team coordinated the development of a publication aimed at healthcare policy makers to share recommendations from the research. One of the key findings was identifying an opportunity at pre-school age where intervention is key to contributing to reducing the risks of disease in later life. This age group is often overlooked by healthcare systems and is a critical stage in a child’s development.

One of our current health projects is Bump2Baby and Me. It will trial an innovative health coaching app for pregnant women at risk of gestational diabetes, a condition which causes complications in pregnancy and can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes in later life for both mum and baby.

Another, LongITools, is investigating how our living environment interacts with our genetics and biology, and how this then affects our risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes.

How to engage with policymakers

For all these projects, it’s essential for the emerging research to translate into realistic options for policymakers at different levels of government. Led by Beta, we are establishing and managing policy forums in each of the current projects to facilitate dialogue and bridge the gap between science and policy. The forums will connect policymaking and policy research experts to our research teams to help ensure science is guided by policy needs and that the findings are translated into appropriate, implementable, evidence-based policy options.

 

Beta is proud to lead the communication, dissemination and exploitation for these exciting projects, that will help our understanding of diabetes and provide options for policymakers to help tackle this and other diseases, as well as enabling us all to live healthier lives in a healthier, more sustainable environment.

Talk to us about how we can help your research project generate impact at a policy level.