‌Generating evidence through research does not guarantee its take-up. The public health evidence-base is patchy, may be contested, and is often heavily modified by context and circumstances. This brings specific challenges for researchers, as research evidence (produced through a systematic and robust research process) is often not fully taken into account in decision-making. There are many opportunities for practice, policy and academe to work more closely together.  The cluster aims to: explore what translational activities work under what conditions; develop methods to explore these issues; inform theory; and work with policy and practice partners in the NHS, local and regional government and other public, private and voluntary organisations to facilitate evidence-informed practice and policy, and practice and policy informed research agendas.

We are building a portfolio of translational projects that look at the the push, pull, exchange and sharing of knowledge (of all kinds) across professional, organisational and sector boundaries.  We propose that a blend of professional know-how and research evidence will help make the most of contextual opportunities for impacting on the public’s health.

The cluster objectives are to:

• Examine the range of approaches to knowledge exchange (KE) currently used, to discover how and why KE may work in certain circumstances, and assess any impact on practice.
• Understand the successful mechanisms, and the ‘active ingredients’ in translational processes.
• Work with policy and practice partners to facilitate evidence-informed policy and practice, and a more policy and practice informed research agenda.
• Provide expertise and capacity to develop and sustain AskFuse: the responsive research and evaluation service for public health, which will provide a source of researchable translational case studies.
• Develop embedded research as a key mechanism for translational research in the North East and beyond.
• Create opportunities to bring together academics, practitioners and policy-makers in discussion to build relationships and provide the foundation for collaborative work. This includes working closely with existing networks and infrastructures, such as the NIHR School for Public Health Research.

Contact
Dr Peter van der Graaf - Cluster Co-Lead, Teesside University
Email: p.van.der.graaf@tees.ac.uk

Dr Mandy Cheetham, Cluster Co-Lead, Northumbria University
Email: mandy.cheetham@northumbria.ac.uk