Communicating and Engaging with Policy Makers (Experience of the Policy Institute at King's College London)

Abstract:

The Policy Institute at King's College London links insightful research with rapid, relevant policy analysis to stimulate 'edgy' forward-looking debate and shape future policy agendas. The mission of the Policy Institute is 'to improve evidence-informed policy and practice by facilitating mutual engagement between academic, business and policy communities around current and future policy needs in the UK and globally'. Building on its central London location at the heart of the global policy conversation, the Policy Institute combines the academic excellence of King's College with the connectedness of think tanks and the professionalism of consultancies. In this presentation, Dr Saba Hinrichs-Krapels will demonstrate the types of activities that are conducted at the Policy Institute, and share examples of learning from engaging with policy makers, particularly the UK Department of Health and Defence sector. She will also present some highlights from the courses organised by the Policy Institute such as 'Impact by Design' and 'Communicating with policymakers'. There will be time for discussion and questions and an opportunity to discuss the differences in different cultural and national contexts of policy engagement.

About the Speaker:

Dr Saba Hinrichs-Krapels is a Senior Research Fellow at the Policy Institute at King's College London. Her background is in Engineering and Health Policy and her interests are in advancing health research and delivery systems, and the need to engage with policymakers to bring evidence, ideas, and innovation into practice for this purpose. She holds a PhD in Engineering Design from the University of Cambridge, and is a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Saba recently worked on a study that analysed the 6,695 non-redacted impact case studies submitted to REF 2014, a project commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Before joining King's she spent three years working at RAND Europe, a non-profit institution whose mission is to improve policy and decision making. Her focus was on health services and evaluation; she led on the development of three large grant applications, and actively worked across disciplines and teams within the company. In her more independent research roles, she recently led on a rapid evidence synthesis on procurement and supply chain management lessons for the NHS (funded by the National Institute for Health Research), bibliometric analyses, and complex evaluations of health and social care organisations. She has also worked on a programme of work on international comparisons of health systems (funded by the Department of Health) and completed studies for clients including the European Commission, the Dairy Council, and Macmillan Cancer Support. Saba previously worked for the medical device industry in the UK, continues her involvement in equipment donation and management in the charity sector as a Trustee for Medical Support in Romania (Reg. Charity 1058339), and is a technical advisor to Engineering World Health at the University of Cambridge.