In 2010, the DRUSSA partners did a scoping study that served to inform the nature of the programme as it stands today. The Communicating Research for Utilisation scoping report defined research communication as follows:

Research uptake is the process whereby research findings enter the domains of intended but also unintended audiences. It is a complex process as the audiences can be multiple (practitioners, policymakers, scholars, general public, etc.); the notion of “uptake”—which corresponds to “utilisation”—can assume different meanings (being aware of findings, quoting findings, implementing findings, etc.); and a variety of modes exist whereby research can reach user audiences (via publications, brokers, media campaigns, workshops, etc.).

As technology rockets ahead at breakneck speed, it is difficult to keep up with what the most effective means are to publicise one’s work. Many (if not most) academics spurn the idea of the social media, but in this age of connectivity, it has never been easier to make research public. Volumes and volumes of research don’t find their way into use because the research isn’t made accessible.

Very early on in my career as a journalist, I discovered the value of making friends with the boss’s secretary and the switchboard operator. That is the grail along which you will have your calls put through and the appointment book opened. The same principle can hold true when trying to bring your research to the attention of policymakers.