At the Scottish Policy & Research Exchange one of the things we value most is seeing how research connects with the realities of people’s lives and how researchers are building meaningful relationships with policymakers, practitioners and communities to create change.

Recently, Catherine-Rose from SPRE attended The Impact Symposium at The University of Aberdeen’s Foresterhill Campus, a hub for health services, education and research that brings together strong partnership working between NHS Grampian and the university.

The symposium showcased a wide range of impactful and collaborative research projects, with a strong emphasis on equity, public value and the human implications of research findings. Across the presentations, there was a clear commitment not only to advancing knowledge, but to ensuring research translates into better systems, better decisions and better outcomes for people.

Research Highlights from the Symposium

Rethinking Chronic Pain Through International Collaboration

Dr Guy Bewick presented innovative neurological research developed in collaboration with Taiwanese scientists and clinician-researchers. The project explores and expands understanding of chronic pain, demonstrating the value of international partnerships and knowledge mobilisation in addressing complex health challenges.

Transforming Food Systems Through Industry Partnership

Professor Alex Johnstone shared research involving a major partnership with the UK’s leading food retailers, focused on transforming food systems. The findings have particular relevance to Scotland’s proposed legislation on foods high in fat, sugar and salt, legislation already introduced in England, highlighting the important role research can play in shaping public policy.

Understanding the Value of Outdoor Space for Health

Dr Luis Loria Rebolledo presented collaborative work involving Public Health Scotland, NatureScot and NHS partners examining the value of outdoor spaces managed by Scotland’s 14 territorial health boards. Using an innovative methodology, the research found that access to open space contributes to NHS savings of approximately £82 million annually, offering important evidence for future NHS planning and infrastructure decisions.

Using Big Data to Improve Prostate Cancer Care

Dr Imran Omar introduced the PIONEER Prostate Project, an international initiative using large-scale real-world data to address key gaps in prostate cancer research. By bringing together clinicians, researchers, industry partners and patients, the project is helping to generate evidence that supports more patient-centred treatment decisions and informs international guidelines.

Advancing Global Mortality Surveillance

Dr Lucia D’Ambruoso presented work advancing verbal autopsy methodologies to help record deaths that occur without medical certification — estimated at around 40 million globally each year. Developed in partnership with the World Health Organization’s global mortality surveillance work, the project focuses on scalable automated coding systems, ethical approaches to working with bereaved families and improving the usefulness of mortality data for health planning and service delivery.

Practical Advice on Policy Engagement and Knowledge Mobilisation

The symposium also featured an excellent session from Michelle McWilliams, Head of Knowledge Exchange, Impact and Communications at The Rowett Institute, who shared practical advice on engaging effectively with policymakers and parliamentary systems.

With Michelle’s permission, we’re delighted to share some of these key recommendations with SPRE members:

• Be clear about your objectives and what you want to achieve.
• Research your target audience and invest in relationship-building.
• Frame research within wider societal challenges and public priorities.
• Develop policy asks that are simple, specific and actionable.
• Align engagement with government and parliamentary priorities where possible.
• Follow parliamentary knowledge exchange services and policy developments.
• Engage with Cross-Party Groups to better understand parliamentary processes.
• Consider parliamentary and constituency schedules when planning engagement opportunities.
• Provide multiple dates and flexible options for policymakers visiting universities or research settings.

These insights strongly reflected the wider themes of the symposium: that impactful research depends not only on excellent evidence, but also on communication, collaboration and trust.

Supporting Researchers Through Policy Engagement Clinics

Alongside attending the symposium, SPRE also ran a series of Policy Engagement Clinics, a new coaching-based approach designed to support researchers and knowledge exchange professionals in developing research engagement plans and impact pathways.

These clinics provide space for tailored conversations around:

• policy engagement strategy,
• relationship-building,
• identifying pathways to impact,
• and navigating parliamentary and government systems.

We’d be delighted to bring these clinics to other universities and research organisations across Scotland.