Enhancing Science Impact

Sustainability challenges blur the boundaries between academic disciplines, between research, policy, and practice, and between states, markets, and society. Often scientists spend years researching important questions, only for their research to be ignored, misinterpreted, or challenged by policy-makers and key stakeholders. What do exemplary scientists and organisations do to bridge the gaps between these groups and help their research to make the greatest impact? How do they do it? And how can their best practices be adapted for a diverse range of specific sustainability challenges?

Enhancing Science Impact: Bridging Research, Policy and Practice for Sustainability addresses these questions in an engaging way. It provides principles explaining how research programs can work more effectively across the boundaries between science, society, and decision-making by building social and institutional networks. The book suggests ways of defining and thinking about problems and then offers five frameworks for embedding science within specific governance contexts. It will be an indispensable guide for researcher leaders, science program managers, and science policy advisors interested in ensuring applied research can meaningfully contribute to sustainability outcomes.

About the Authors

Peat Leith is a Senior Research Fellow at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, University of Tasmania. His research focuses on social and institutional aspects of agriculture and coastal zone management, ranging from action research in climate change adaptation to scholarly research in science and technology studies.

Kevin O'Toole is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University. His research focuses on comparative studies of policies and their application to sustainability and participatory governance in rural areas.

Marcus Haward is a political scientist specialising in oceans and Antarctic governance, coastal management and marine resources management. He is currently a Professor at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania.

Brian Coffey is a lecturer in sustainability and urban planning at RMIT. His research focuses on the policy dimensions of sustainability, environmental governance and science-policy-practice relations. Prior to completing his PhD, Brian worked in a variety of public sector environmental policy and planning roles.