The INRAE 2030 strategy sets out to strengthen multidisciplinary research in support of public policy, partnerships and innovation. In this context, a skills development plan has been drawn up following the national training meetings in 2021. It includes the development of a public policy support culture. Public policy support activities require specific skills. Since 2020, INRAE has been working to better define these skills and the conditions for their development. The skills needed at the interface between science and public policy have been highlighted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre.

Since 2020, and with financial support from the French Ministry of Research, the Policy Support Division has led the co-construction of awareness-raising and skills development initiatives in various forms: Webinars, research schools, conferences, seminars, writing workshops, experience sharing, etc. A unit dedicated to skills in support of public policy has been set up to enhance and increase awareness-raising and training initiatives in line with the three pillars of the skills development plan: getting to know yourself better, understanding yourself better and increasing the impact of your work.

These information, exchange and training sessions aim to develop the INRAE scientists’ collective knowledge of public policy support issues in terms of culture, project enrichment and peer support.

Research schools and training courses

A research school is an original way of :

• bring together different disciplines and multiple entities to collaborate,
• federate communities by developing common practices and a shared culture,
• share knowledge and approaches,
• develop or co-construct a common culture or practices,
• share and/or transfer methodologies and practices…

Research School“Regards croisés de scientifiques, repères et pratiques” (Orléans, 2021)

This first research school provided an opportunity to share resources and support INRAE scientists involved in public policy support. They were able to :

• discuss, share resources and exchange experiences on public policy support situations,
• share a vision of the diversity of actions and practices and their links with the other activities of scientists,
• identify, on the basis of experiences, the positions, methodologies, points of attention and opportunities linked to the practice of support for public policies,
• set milestones for the management of public policy support actions, identify the procedures and stages of the process, and the organisation of support resources to be put in place to assist scientists who provide public policy support within INRAE.

School for researchers: promoting support for regional public policies (Bordeaux, 2023)

Built around the exchange of practices, this research school had four main objectives:

• to provide a forum for resources and exchanges on public policy support,
• to identify, on the basis of experience, postures, methodologies, points of attention and opportunities linked to the practice of public policy support and its links with research activity,
• set milestones for the management of public policy support initiatives, identify the methods and stages of the process and the organisation of support resources,
• sharing a space for reflection between scientists and local players on the specific features of the scientific and political spheres and the levers for improving exchanges between them.

Research school for international project expertise (Paris, 2023)

This research school enabled scientists to :

• learn about the context and challenges of international project appraisal (interest for research and career paths),
• get to know the different players and their expectations (public and private funding bodies),
• understand the project appraisal process and INRAE’s internal support.

Workshops and training

Policy Briefs writing workshop

A writing workshop was held to help scientists draw up recommendations for public policy-makers on the subject of forests. Following a methodological input, writing and proof-reading sessions enabled participants to learn how to write policy briefs based on their own research.

Training in territorial dialogue: dialogue rather than debate

This three-day training course combined theory and practical exercises for scientists in charge of a research project or an expert involved in dialogue with local and regional players.

Resource centre to raise awareness of public policy support

The thirty or so presentations given at the first Research School have been reworked to make them accessible to all staff. It has been organised into four parts:

• identifying the scope and diversity of public policy support,
• knowing where to turn for support in contractual activities,
• deploying its work for public action,
• positioning yourself at the science-society interface.

This resource centre will continue to be enriched by other training initiatives.

Sharing experience

Sharing experiences, particularly in the form of practice-sharing workshops, gives scientists the opportunity to reflect among peers on their practices and discuss successes and difficulties in order to enrich their culture of public policy support activities.

The Public Policy Support Division has launched a series of practice-sharing workshops for INRAE scientists.

Experience-sharing workshop on the theme of water

The first one-day workshop brought together scientists working with water agencies and/or members of the scientific council of one of the six water agencies on a variety of themes and disciplines.

It enabled participants to:

• integrate strategic information on the issues and relations with the water agencies, so that the scientists can better situate their actions and enhance the impact of their activities,
• learn about oral communication by writing and presenting stories to a target audience,
• get to know the researchers, disciplines, teams and themes of collaboration between INRAE and the water agencies,
• to strengthen the partnership between scientists and water agencies through the sharing of experience,
• to encourage the joint development of projects between several scientific teams and several water agencies.

Webinars

The Public Policy Support Department has organised several webinars to raise awareness and acculturate scientists and their teams to expertise and public policy support.

A dozen webinars were organised internally at INRAE to raise awareness and inform scientists about the ecosystem and the expertise and public policy support activities.