Actionable Science

SESYNC’s mission is to support new science that is relevant or applicable to government, business, and NGO audiences, and in a broader sense can inform a larger interested public. Consistent with social science literature, we refer to this as “actionable science” — scholarship with the potential to inform decisions (government, business, and household), improve the design or implementation of public policies, influence public or private sector strategies, planning and behaviors that affect the environment. SESYNC will evaluate Themes, Ventures, and Pursuits — and our own success as a Center — on how well these synthesis efforts engage outside audiences, address research questions relevant to them, and communicate science in ways that foster the comprehension, application, and impact of new knowledge. Therefore proposals will be evaluated in part on the work’s relevance to audiences outside the scientific community. Preference will be given to proposals that identify and include decision audiences in the research design phase and when realistic, include decision audiences in deliberations on the questions to be addressed and outcomes sought. In particular we seek proposals that:

• make the case for, or provide evidence of, the topic’s relevance to decision-making, public policy, or planning;
• identify specific audiences outside the research community likely to demand or benefit from the research’s results; and
• describe how the project or group will work with, hear from, and communicate to audiences beyond the research community.

Because SESYNC’s mission is to produce innovative science we recognize that not all synthesis efforts will result in immediately quantifiable impacts on public policy, regulatory implementation, business and community planning, or household behavior. However, SESYNC’s use of Themes to support a broad range of similarly-focused research activities (Pursuits) is designed to foster such impacts. Our goal is to relate diverse outcomes under a given theme — some with near-term actionable products, others focused on more fundamental discoveries that will shape future theories and approaches over longer time frames — to social policies, planning, and behavior. SESYNC will provide analysis, communications and, outreach expertise as needed to help translate and build these cumulative impacts. Discussions on how best to match SESYNC capacity to the individual needs of each synthesis effort will take place as projects are formulated and, periodically, as progress is made. In addition, SESYNC will facilitate interactions among Pursuits within a given Theme. Our intent is to build shared understanding and leverage activities in new ways that yield both specific and broader impacts. The foundation of actionable science rests on highly credible research findings and SESYNC will track the core metrics of scientific output (e.g., peer reviewed publications, presentations at meetings, student and postdoctoral involvement in projects) and impacts (e.g., citation rates, implementation of new models, tools and theories emanating from synthesis efforts). Because actionable science should extend beyond peer audiences we are committed to tracking how well efforts reach and involve new audiences as well. We recognize that this is a long-term effort and that assessment of impacts will require both quantitative and qualitative metrics, some of which may need to be developed over time. Examples of output measurements include:

• demand for research presentations/consultation in the form of testimony, policy white papers, business, NGO, or government briefings;
• citations in literatures associated with or directed toward external audiences (government reports, popular media, etc);and
• communication and outreach products developed in conjunction with synthesis efforts including general audience research summaries, blogs and other web content, media briefings, and research dissemination events like public seminars and conferences.

While more complex and long term, assessment of impacts will include tracking:

• the use of findings and tools in decision making and policy development through case studies and longitudinal studies;
• involvement of decision audiences in research efforts and the degree of sustained interaction between researchers and their non-research audiences;
• partnerships with institutions and individuals representing non-research audiences (agencies, companies, NGOs, multi-lateral organizations); and
• education and outreach products incorporated into broader public discussions and evidence of resulting behavior change.