WHO led a global priority-setting process from 2023 to 2025 to address a persistent problem in health policy and practice: evidence remains unevenly used and often reaches decision-makers too slowly. Knowledge translation and evidence-informed policy-making aim to close that gap, yet the field still faces fragmentation, limited coordination and difficulty demonstrating impact. The resulting global research agenda sets out a shared framework to strengthen how evidence is produced, translated and used in decision-making. It is intended for researchers, policy-makers, funders, practitioners and civil society, and it can be adapted across countries, regions and sectors.
Why the Agenda Was Developed
Evidence often fails to reach policymakers in a form that can shape decisions. It may arrive too late, prove too complex or remain disconnected from local realities. As a result, research with clear potential to improve lives does not always drive real-world change. At the same time, the funding landscape is shifting. Resources are more constrained and there is growing pressure to show impact, which makes the relevance, timeliness and practical use of evidence even more important.
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Knowledge translation and evidence-informed policymaking were developed to address this gap between research, policy and practice, but progress has remained uneven. Some areas, such as barriers to evidence use, have been studied extensively. Others, especially areas that are more complex, time-intensive and costly to examine, have remained underfunded and relatively overlooked. Evaluating KT interventions is one example. Research efforts have also often been siloed, duplicated and disconnected, with many actors working in isolation and too little exchange across disciplines and professions. The agenda responds to these problems by setting shared priorities, encouraging coordination and helping reduce duplication across the evidence ecosystem.
How the Priorities Were Set
The agenda was developed through a structured and inclusive process led from 2023 to 2025. More than 130 experts from 38 countries helped shape it, with participation spanning all six WHO regions. The process included reviews of more than 600 studies, a global survey to identify research gaps and expert consultations. By the time of public launch, more than 850 participants had been involved. This broad engagement was intended to ensure that the priorities reflected different regions, sectors and country income levels while also promoting shared ownership.
The development process moved through planning, evidence mapping, an open call for experts and two Delphi survey rounds followed by final consultation. It combined literature reviews, global consultation and prioritisation exercises to refine a large set of possible topics into a smaller number of agreed areas. The result was a framework organised around three main research themes: what works in KT and EIP, what helps or hinders KT and EIP and how to improve KT and EIP methods and tools. The agenda was designed to be broad enough for use across sectors and geographies while allowing local adaptation at institutional, subnational, national, regional and global levels.
What the Agenda Prioritises
Nineteen priority research areas were identified within the final framework. The highest-ranked area focuses on strategies and approaches to institutionalise evidence production, translation and use so that evidence becomes part of routine decision-making. The next priority is the evaluation of the impacts of KT and EIP products and interventions. A third major area examines engagement processes between evidence generators, intermediaries and users, including co-creation and co-production, to improve uptake by decision-makers. Other leading priorities address the role of context in research uptake, implementation and scaling up, as well as the development and assessment of strategies for translating evidence during public health emergencies.
The agenda also gives attention to a wider set of issues affecting evidence use. These include decision-maker engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion in KT and EIP activities, policy learning across countries and sectors, engagement of people with lived experience in knowledge generation and translation and the role of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence. The process also highlighted persistent imbalances in geographic representation and a continuing health-centric bias despite the agenda’s broader ambitions. These findings reinforced the need for stronger cross-sector collaboration, more equitable participation and implementation strategies that can be adapted to local realities.
The agenda provides a coordinated framework for improving how evidence is used in policy and practice. It is intended to align research and funding, support regional and local agenda-setting, strengthen partnerships and build capacity through training and mentorship. It also creates a basis for monitoring progress and updating priorities over time. The overall aim is to reduce fragmentation, improve the relevance of research and strengthen evidence use in decision-making across different contexts.
Source: World Health Organization
Image Credit: iStock
References:
World Health Organization (2026) Global research agenda on knowledge translation and evidence-informed policy-making: prioritizing research for better decision-making. Geneva: World Health Organization.
