Upcoming Events
The NORFACE Seminar Series on Evidence and Policy (2007- 2009)
The University of Edinburgh (Scotland) is organising a seminar series on Evidence and Policy with the University of Iceland, National University of Ireland, University of Oslo and Erasmus University (Rotterdam). The seminars aim to advance international and comparative understanding of the use of different forms of knowledge and evidence in the policy process through a process of sharing of ideas and discussion across these jurisdictions.
Three seminars and a final workshop will:
- explore the role of different forms of evidence in the policy process and assess the relative weight attached to each of these by policymakers (Edinburgh, November 2007);
- consider the impact of the social sciences on policy and the impact of evidence-based policy on the social sciences (Rotterdam, April 2008);
- document the strategies and interventions employed in a range of countries to improve the use of evidence in the policy process and consider any evidence on their effectiveness (Oslo, September 2008);
- draw out overall conclusions and seek to initiate new comparative research on the role and use of different types of evidence in the policy processes of different countries (Dublin, March 2009).
Further details are available at http://www.crfr.ac.uk/norface/index.html
Past Events
Seminar on Using Evidence in the Scottish Polity, 16 May 2007
To celebrate the publication of Using Evidence: How Research Can Inform Public Services 
Read Prof Jim Gallagher's speech on 'Public Policy in a Different Scotland'
View Prof Ian Sanderson's slides on 'Building the Evidence for a Better Scotland: Challenges and Prospects'
View the presentation on 'Using Evidence' by Prof Sandra Nutley, Dr Isabel Walter and Prof Huw TO Davies. (NB: The file Using evidence Nutley et al.pdf is licensed to the public under the Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.5 UK: Scotland license.)
Research Utilisation Seminar Series
RURU has organised 4 key seminars addressing various aspects of research utilisation:
1. Making it Happen: developing understanding of research utilisation and EBP implementation issues, 6 March 2002, St. Andrews. The report of this seminar can be accessed here.
2. Increasing Research Impact: Evidence from across the public sector, 21-22 November 2002, St Andrews. The second in the series of seminars organised by RURU the seminar brought together a group of people with a keen interest in and/or direct experience of research utilisation/ evidence-based policy and practice implementation issues. The aims of the seminar were: to understand the nature of research impact; to review evidence on the effectiveness of different approaches to increasing research impact; and to examine the practical experience of initiatives that have sought to implement particular models for increasing research impact.
3. Assessing Research Impact, 15-16 January 2004, St Andrews. The report of this seminar can be accessed here.
4. Developing Projects to Assess Research Impact, 25-26 November 2004, St Andrews. The report of this seminar can be accessed here.