| Guest blog | Reflections on the UCL International Policy Fellowship 2024: Policy Processes and Knowledge Production

Written by Glory Atilola, Irina Petrova, Stijn Van Ewijk and Stuti Rawat

The four of us were very fortunate to be selected for the UCL International Policy Fellowship 2024. The Fellowship was an incredible opportunity to meet a cross-disciplinary cohort of twenty one researchers from ten different universities, all working on the theme of Environmental Governance. As part of the programme, which was co-organised with the Geneva Science-Policy Interface (GSPI) and the 4EU+ European University Alliance (4EU+), we also undertook a study trip to Geneva between October 7–10, 2024.

The Fellowship helped give us a very real sense of the UN policy process, highlighting in particular the importance of partnerships, knowledge production and communication, persistence and capacity building.

We present each of our individual takeaways below.

Glory: The Fellowship provided a great opportunity for an immersive experience in international policy engagement. From the first day, the significance of my research as an environmental exposure scientist in shaping the policy process was clear. I was constantly reminded that the policy engagement process is multilateral, multi-stakeholder, non-linear, and a long haul. Most importantly, it requires relationship building, partnership for knowledge co-production, patience in listening to and understanding alternative policy options and contexts, and responsible leadership in communicating non-prescriptive trustworthy science. I foresee the increasing role of science in tackling environmental pollution and climate change impact on health in an increasingly digital and uncertain world.

Irina: For me the fellowship was a roller coaster from hope and anticipation of ‘making the world a better place’ to frustration verging on despair when realising how the logic of multilateral cooperation for common good is sidelined by underlying power interests and how excellent resources are wasted in the decision- and policy-making process; — and yet back to hope that a small step-by-step engagement between science, policy-makers and civil society can make incremental changes. That, however, implies the need for academics to drastically boost two interrelated skills: relational knowledge production (i.e. in constant dialogue with a broad range of stakeholders in policy-making and society), as well as the ability to communicate extremely complex knowledge differently to various audiences.

Stijn: As an academic focusing on industrial ecology and policy, I felt the fellowship was a very useful and interesting way of gaining a better understanding of the UN science-policy interface. We learned from a range of invited speakers, as well as the other participants of the programme, who were based at a variety of European universities and each specialized in a different (environmental) discipline. The UN offers many possibilities for policy engagement, and universities and other organizations provide extensive support for such engagement (not least through the fellowship!). From the various talks, it also became clear that for the individual academic, policy engagement requires focus, persistence, and (plenty of) time. Getting to know the UN science policy interface helped me find new opportunities to combine my research and teaching with policy engagement activities.

Stuti: My research lies at the intersection of Public Policy and Sustainability, so the invited speakers’ insights on the framing, timing and proximity of policy issues based on their experiences, especially resonated with me. During the Geneva study trip I received feedback on my research, learnt about other participants’ work and gathered practical tips on bridging the science and policy interface. A key takeaway was the crucial role that ‘capacity’ plays across the research, policy, and societal sphere. Addressing sustainability challenges demands building capacity to understand specific problems and to design solutions that account for secondary and long-term impacts. Effective implementation demands policymakers’ and societal actors’ active engagement, highlighting the importance of strategic communication and public engagement. Working at a university, I see our role as educators not just in generating knowledge but also in equipping future leaders with the tools and perspectives needed to navigate sustainability and policy complexities.

In closing, we all agree that the UCL International Policy Fellowship 2024 was an invaluable experience that provided us with the tools, insights, and inspiration to actively contribute to policy processes, fostering meaningful change in environmental governance. We leave this Fellowship with a renewed commitment to applying our research in ways that influence and support sustainable, evidence-based decision-making, and with the hope that small, persistent steps can lead to transformative outcomes.

Co-organised by UCL Global Engagement, UCL European Institute and UCL Public Policy in partnership with the Geneva Science-Policy Interface (GSPI), this fellowship is part of UCL’s continued commitment to bridging the gap between academia and policymaking, ensuring that cutting-edge research directly informs policy decisions on a global scale.

More information on the 2024 UCL International Policy Fellowship here.

Learn more about UCL’s International Policy Programme here.

Readers can explore some of the participants' impressions in this GSPI blog: International Geneva Study Trip 2024 – Exploring the Contribution of Science to Global Environmental Governance.

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