Many academic institutions view policy engagement as part of their mission, however traditional models of this intervention –publications, briefings, committee participation, expert testimony and informal consultation -often struggle to convey the desired content in an accessible, actionable fashion. Engaging in formal consultative processes, by submitting comments or offering public testimony on proposed policies may provide an additional route for academics to inform policy making, however there are concerns regarding the effect of such engagement on the objectivity and reputation of scientists who choose to do so. This project seeks to review and synthesize existing literature on scientific, and especially academic, input into policy-making and governance processes, with three goals.
- Serve as a consolidated resource of current research in this space for NCST partners and other academic institutions.
- Synthesize best practices for academic engagement via traditional models, such as those listed above.
- Review and synthesize studies evaluating the impacts of academic engagement in formal legislative or regulatory processes and identify best practices for doing so.
The paper resulting from this work would provide value as a focused, in-house resource to NCST partner institutions as well as contribute to the body of literature in this field.