From research to policy: driving impact with evidence

With extreme heat waves and global warming, sustainable cooling is a global necessity. The refrigeration sector, which includes the cold chain for food and health products, air conditioning, cryogenics and heat pumps, is recognised within the United Nations as a development priority for its benefits to human life.

 “At the IIR, we firmly believe that evidence-based policymaking is essential to achieving our environmental and climate targets”, as stated by Yosr Allouche, Director General, at COP13/MOP36 in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Through our network of close to 400 international experts contributing to evidence-based publications, the IIR is committed to disseminating knowledge of refrigeration to improve the quality of life for all, while respecting the environment and considering economic imperatives. 

Here are 10 tips to help researchers better communicate scientific evidence to support policy change: 

• Understand policymaking first. What are the policy goals? How are decisions made? Who are the key actors? 
• Discuss and define relevant questions together with policymakers and stakeholders. 
• Think about the policy impact of your research early, already when you design projects 
• Improving the use of scientific evidence in a conscious and systematic manner is not an individual task but a collective effort. 
• Trust is vital and it is only possible if science and policy work closely together. 
• Networking (online and offline) beyond scientific circles helps you gain visibility and start to establish your trustworthiness in policy circles. 
• Communicating to policymakers requires different approaches than to scientists. Being able to tell a captivating story – that you can back up with facts – is sometimes more 

convincing than yet more facts. 

• Policymakers may prefer a concise, cross-disciplinary synthesis of the existing knowledge base, instead of the latest piece of research. 
• Often your background as well as professional and personal values influence the choices that guide your research. 
• Avoid the temptation to smooth out uncertainties and disagreements within the knowledge base to try to help policymakers with a clearer message. 

For more information, please visit the European Commission’s website.