Sharing scientific findings with policy makers remains a major challenge for many research project.This presentation by David Wafula of ISAAA AfriCenter gives you tips on how to effectively engage policy makers and make an impression about the findings of your reserarch. Making an impression is the first step towards policy influence!

1. Communicating Science for Policy Influence
BIPCEA Science Communication Training Workshop
For Bio-Innovate Projects
July 3rd - 4th 2012
Kigali, Rwanda
David Wafula

2. Focus of the presentation
• Why communicate science for policy influence
• The importance of reaching out to policy makers
• Tips for effective outreach
• Outreach mechanisms- (strategies and tools)
• Writing policy briefs
• Challenges associated with engaging policy makers
• Measuring impact

3. Why communicate science for policy influence?
• Research, written in a reports only does not lead to positive
action or outcomes.
• We communicate to achieve results, to bring about a change
• What changes can happen if you communicate
• (your research) well?
– A change in policy
– A change in thinking among decision makers
– Bring on board other actors who can affect policy (media
etc)

4. Who are policy makers ?
• Persons whose decisions and opinions have significant
influence or impact on national policies, laws and
regulations
• Policy makers make decisions that impact on the society
Directors
in ministries, R &D
institutions and
Regulatory agencies
Parliamentarians Ministers PS
Senators Governors

6. The importance of reaching out to policy makers
• Meeting the challenges of the 21st century and responding
effectively to strategies such as MDGs, CAADP and national
level strategies- requires fostering interaction between scientists
and politicians and increasing the influence of scientific
evidence on public policy
• Scientists and politicians work at different paces. The scientist
tackles a problem over many years, the politician must make
decisions every day.
• Scientists and politicians should have ‘a symbiotic relationship’
• While the interdependency is crucial a huge communications
gap between the political and scientific communities exists

7. Why policy-makers in the context of
biosciences innovations?
Enabling & supportive laws Resource
Environment (L&P mobilization
BIOINNOVATIONS
Regulations Safety of
Application & devept
Environment
Acceptance
Compliance: Commercialization
inspection & market access
monitoring
Scientific and technological innovations remain fundamental for poverty reduction,
socio-economic growth and environmental sustainability

8. Role of Policies in Agricultural Innovation Systems
Enabling environment
Political stability, law and order, infrastructure,
Governance favorable micro-macro and sectoral
policies, etc.
Agricultural Agro industry
Agro-industry (Product marketing)
production
(Input supply) Processing
(Farm production)
Value adding
Marketing
Facilitating Institutions
Policies, legal framework, market, information, quality
control Research, extension, training, credit, etc.)
Facilitating Services
Transport, storage, packaging, facilitating, equipment,
import and export, communication, promotion, etc.

9. Agricultural value chain –needs enabling
policy environment
Consumption
Retailing
Trading
Processing
Trading
Transport
Post-harvest
handling
Production
- -
Input
Supply

10. Tips for effective outreach to policy makers -1
•Politicians or senior policymakers are always busy and in some
cases few have scientific backgrounds
•Yet they must frequently make vital policy decisions on S&T that
impact on the society
•Be accurate and always present the evidence/facts in a concise and
precise manner.
•Explain why the issue is relevant to them and why it is important
(speak in terms of benefits and advantages )
•Describe the urgency of the situation

11. Tips for effective outreach to policy makers -2
•Science alone is not enough-focus on the impacts of technologies
on people and glaring challenges such as climate change, nutrition
and food security.
•Policy makers are constantly overwhelmed with information. Do
not write about a subject because it is new and exciting-it must have
some relevance for them (e.g funding decisions to be made or
relevant policies or legislation to be passed)
•Provide timescales whenever talking about future developments
(politicians interested in something that might happen during their
term)

12. Effective ways of communication and
outreach

13. Where do policy-makers get information
Ranked in importance (in Kenya)
1. Mass media – electronic & print (radio highly
effective)
2. Special groups – NGOs and civil society
3. Special media – policy briefs, brochures, pamphlets,
newsletters
4. Websites and social media becoming popular

14. Seminars and oral briefings
• Seminars and oral briefings- interactive and good in
stimulating dialogue between the stakeholders & obtaining
quick feedback
– Breakfast meetings and sessions with targeted groups e.g select
parliamentary committees or sectoral institutions
– Use existing platforms such as OFAB
• Venue- should be held in locations convenient for politicians
and senior policy makers
– Parliament
– Convenient hotels
– Ample notice through relevant channels & effective mobilization
strategy

15. Workshop for Parliamentarians on the Biosafety Bill

16. Using existing platforms such as OFAB
I S AA A
Monthly networking sessions through OFAB

17. Traveling workshops and tours
ISAAA
EAC MPs on a
visit to biotech
facilities in Kenya
Parliamentarians visit to Bt cotton
CFT in KARI MWEA
Parliamentarians visit
Kenyan parliamentarians to biotech facilities in the country
visit to S. Africa

18. Tour of modern biotechnology facilities at the KARI
Biotechnology Centre

19. Media Outreach
I SAAA
Invest in good relations with credible media/journalists
for increased and balanced reporting (mass media)

20. Written reports & briefing papers
• Formats- fact sheets, message maps, policy briefs,
posters, pamplets and newsletters
– Good for quick and detailed reference and less likely
to be misquoted than oral presentations
– BUT offer fewer opportunities for interaction and
dialogue
• Distribution list- consider targeting individuals with a
specific interest in the subject

21. POLICY BRIEFS
•A policy brief- is a targeted and focused tool for presenting
information in a short- well designed and well-written format
that decision makers can read and absorb quickly.
•Purpose- of the a policy brief is to convince the target audience
of the urgency of the current problem or issue and the need to
adopt the preferred alternative or course of action/decision
•A vehicle for providing policy advice

22. Who Are Your Readers?
• Who am I writing this brief for?
• How knowledgeable are they about the topic?
• What questions need answers?
• What are their interests, concerns
• What value does this have for them?

23. Writing a policy brief that serves the intended purpose
•Focused and punchy writing-the key points should be expressed well
enough to be grasped easily and quickly-the “breakfast test”
•Focused on a single topic -the focus of the brief should be limited to a
particular problem, concern or subject
•Style- avoid dry and technical language- can make the reader rapidly
‘switch off’ (simple and clear language)
•It should be brief-not be more than 3, 000 words
•Structure-ensure that the first page has something to
•grab a reader’s attention (logos, statistics, photos, quotes)
•Start and end- with a well-written summary re-emphasizing the
importance of action-this may be that a busy decision maker has time or
inclination to read

24. Writing a policy brief that serves the intended purpose 2
•Be persuasive and convincing- use ideas, evidence and
language that will convince the decision maker (benefits and
advantages)
•Avoid using general terms like ‘large’ or ‘majority’
•Accurate and evidence based -use information from reliable
sources (may be used in a political debate or decision-making)
•Headings-use plenty of catchy headings. These guide the
reader through the text and help them to spot main points at a
glance
• Use graphs to illustrate facts & figures to support your views)

25. A policy brief that serves the intended purpose
• Peer review- send your brief to colleagues or experts in the
subject matter. It is a good way of checking accuracy.
• Build a clear and coherent link to the conclusions, implications
and recommendations – articulating the preferred policy
option or action
• Need to have concrete conclusion
– Implications are what could happen
– Recommendations are what should happen-state precisely
next steps
– Ensure they are relevant, credible and feasible

26. FAQs- Provide answers to FAQs
Project 1: Delivering New Sorghum and Finger Millet innovations for
Food Security and Improving Livelihoods in Eastern Africa
• What are the objectives of the project?
• Who are the partners?
• How will the new sorghum and finger millet innovations be
developed?
• Are the innovations safe?
• What will be cost of the seed and delivery mechanisms?
• When will the technologies be available to farmers ?
• What will be the IPR implications ?

27. How science communication can impact on policy regimes
• Modifying existing programs or policies
• Helping create a new policy regime in an emerging field
• Policy making characterized by competiting interests in
terms of priorities and funding- interaction with policy
makers can help advance S & T interests and facilitate
accomplishment of target goals

28. Measuring impact - effectiveness of Outreach to policy-makers
• Analysis of media statements from policy-makers
(positive/negative/neutral?)
• Number of policy-makers participating in bioscience (events –
official representation
• Number of relevant policies and laws passed or amended
• Number of relevant regulations developed and gazetted
• No of products or processes commercialized (an indication of
enabling environment )
• Reports on parliamentary debates

29. Challenges of engaging policy makers
• Engaging policy makers has to be a continuous process to deal
with dynamism
• Frequent changes in the government (reshuffles)- slows
down/delays progress
• Political differences/ vested interests can undermine good
policies-not everyone is likely to support the policy option
proposed or be satisfied with the policy adopted
• Limitations of scientific solutions- provide answers only to
problems facing a certain community- may not be applicable to
others because of social, cultural, political or environmental
factors
• Financial implications are hefty

30. Recommendations & take home messages
• Scientists should be proactive in penetrating political circles
and effectively guide the policy making process
• Scientists should incorporate communication activities
targeting policy makers into the project- guided by critical
milestones and appropriate timing
• Public outreach- reaching out to the public is very important
to support demands of scientists. Policies are intended for
the public and politicians are more obligated to hear the
demands of a large population

31. Thank you