Putting Science into Action: building a research system to address environmental crises

20 Mar

Agile Initiative’s Showcase and Forum on Advanced Policy Research

Environmental crises pose urgent challenges that demand immediate and impactful action. How can we best ensure that robust science is translated into practical tools that allow decision-makers to make real change? At Agile, we believe part of the solution lies in accelerating the pace of research and publication, while fostering deeper collaboration between researchers and policy practitioners.

This half-day event will explore this question further through a keynote lecture by Professor Rachael Garrett, an interactive forum with posters showcasing Sprint research, and insights from Agile’s programme research team. We welcome policy professionals, researchers, and practitioners to join us in a collaborative dialogue about bridging the gap between science and policy.

Join us to

• Understand what cutting edge, policy-relevant research for 2025 looks like
• Discuss how to overcome barriers to impact and on-the-ground relevance in your work
• Meet, learn from and share experiences with other researchers, policy professionals and practitioners working in environmental research-to-policy

The forum will host discussion sessions on four environmental themes: Health and Education, Climate, Food Systems, and Finance. We will examine the dynamics of science-to-policy interactions, exploring real-world case studies from Agile Sprint research and engaging with participants in meaningful discussions.

Agile is now in our fourth year. With this event we aim to explore, in our community and beyond, the appetite for the kind of fast-paced, impact-focused research that we champion. We’ve just held our likely final call for Sprints, and as we look for the future of the Agile research model, this is an opportunity to share and hear about experiences and barriers in the sectors that play a role in science-to-policy.

We will consider

• How do we change funding and other incentives for researchers to work in this way? What key support is needed?
• How do we change the mindset of the research community? How do we work more collaboratively and less competitively?
• How can we work more synergistically with the policy community?

Register

All welcome to attend. Places are limited, so register now: https://forms.office.com/e/RNaDJk1Rmc

The event will take place in-person at the Oxford Martin School, which is wheelchair accessible. There will be comfort breaks, and we will finish with a lunch from 1-2pm.

Let us know about any appropriate accommodations that you require. This can include: accessibility needs, dietary requirements, allergies, wellbeing breaks, religious practices, and sensory needs. You can use the registration form or get in touch with our EDI Officer Steph Perrin to discuss in advance: stephanie.perrin@oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk