Sustained Engagement in Science-Policy Dialogue through UGR County Councils

Summary: Key features in a nutshell

• Long-term engagement built around regional governance structures rather than single events
• Regular interaction between researchers, policymakers, and local stakeholders
• Combination of online coordination, in-person meetings, and public-facing activities
• Strong institutional anchoring within the University of Granada and its social innovation strategy

Description

Sustained engagement refers to the ability to maintain long-term, continuous, and meaningful interaction between researchers, policymakers, and societal actors beyond isolated dialogue events. Within the framework of the Erasmus + ENGAGEgreen project, the UGR County Councils represent a governance-oriented approach designed to embed science-policy dialogue into regional structures, ensuring continuity over time. Rather than relying on one-off consultations, this model seeks to institutionalize engagement as a permanent process, aligned with regional priorities and supported by the University of Granada (UGR).

How does the format work?

The sustained engagement model of the UGR County Councils operates as a progressive and cumulative process. Regional challenges are jointly identified with local governments and stakeholders and then connected to relevant research expertise within the university. Engagement is maintained through recurring meetings, thematic working sessions, preparatory online workshops, and large-scale dialogue events such as the Impronta Granada Meetings. Digital tools support continuity by preserving institutional memory, ensuring visibility of actors and projects, and enabling ongoing interaction between events. Over time, this format allows relationships to mature and trust to be built, which is essential for effective science-policy collaboration.

Challenges

Achieving sustained engagement in science-policy dialogue is inherently challenging. One of the main difficulties lies in maintaining long-term commitment by both researchers and policymakers whose priorities, workloads, and institutional contexts may change over time. Political cycles, staff turnover, and limited incentives for academic engagement can disrupt continuity. Additionally, sustained engagement requires moving beyond short-term outputs and accepting that impact often emerges gradually, which may conflict with expectations for immediate results. Addressing these challenges requires stable coordination structures, institutional support, and clear long-term objectives.

Tasks and resources

Scientists

• Tasks
  • Contribute research expertise aligned with regional challenges identified through the UGR County Councils
  • Participate in recurring dialogue activities (meetings, workshops, consultations) over time
  • Adapt research outputs to policy-relevant formats and long-term territorial priorities
• Required Resources
  • Time allocated to sustained engagement beyond single events
  • Institutional recognition of science-policy dialogue activities
  • Communication and knowledge-sharing tools to interact with policymakers and stakeholders.

Knowledge exchange managers and research managers

• Tasks
  • Coordinate sustained interaction between researchers, policymakers, and regional stakeholders
  • Facilitate dialogue processes, preparatory meetings, and follow-up activities
  • Translate research outputs into accessible, policy-relevant formats
  • Ensure continuity, documentation, and institutional memory across political and academic cycles
• Required Resources
  • Dedicated staff time for coordination and facilitation
  • Digital platforms and tools to support communication, documentation, and visibility
  • Institutional support to maintain long-term engagement structures

Policymakers

• Tasks
  • Identify and articulate medium- and long-term regional needs
  • Engage regularly with researchers through the UGR County Councils framework
  • Integrate research-based insights into local strategies and policy processes.
• Required Resources
  • Time for participation in ongoing dialogue processes
  • Political and administrative support to ensure continuity across policy cycles
  • Access to synthesized research evidence relevant to territorial decision-making

How is the format conducted?

Sustained engagement within the UGR County Councils is conducted through a sequence of recurring activities that combine preparatory online meetings, in-person dialogue events, and continuous coordination between the University of Granada and regional actors. Interaction is distributed over time through periodic meetings, thematic working sessions, and large-scale encounters such as the Impronta Granada Meetings. This approach allows relationships between researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to mature gradually, supporting trust-building, shared learning, and the progressive alignment of research expertise with regional priorities.

Available resources (what are the main tasks?)

Researchers contribute by sharing ongoing research aligned with territorial challenges and by participating in dialogue processes over time. Knowledge exchange managers and research managers coordinate interaction between actors, facilitate meetings, translate research outputs into accessible formats, and ensure continuity and documentation across political and academic cycles. Policymakers articulate regional priorities, participate regularly in dialogue activities, and integrate research-based insights into local strategies and decision-making processes. The format relies on sustained coordination capacity, institutional support from the University of Granada, and digital tools that enable communication, visibility, and follow-up.

What works? What doesn’t? (Lessons learnt)

What works is the progressive consolidation of the UGR County Councils as stable governance structures for science-policy dialogue. During 2025, several milestones demonstrated growing participation, institutional anchoring, and public visibility. The initiative was officially launched in January 2025 at the First Impronta Granada Meeting, bringing together more than 80 UGR researchers and local representatives. In July 2025, the First County Councils Regional Meeting (Costa Tropical) strengthened cross-council dialogue, showcased ongoing projects, and fostered closer cooperation between municipalities and researchers. Two interactive working sessions held in November 2025 enabled representatives of the ten councils to review priorities, share knowledge, and prepare the December meeting. These efforts culminated in the Second Impronta Granada Meeting (December 2025, Loja), a major in-person gathering with thematic working tables on mobility, rural women, employment, agriculture, and sustainability, consolidating the Councils as an active governance network. Complementary scientific and regional activities, such as seminars addressing concrete local needs, further reinforced the regional ecosystem.

From a communication perspective, sustained engagement is reinforced by the use of institutional communication channels managed by Medialab UGR, Social Innovation Lab of the University of Granada, such as the Impronta Granada website, social media profiles (Medialab UGR’s LinkedIn  account, Impronta Granada’s Instagram account, Medialab UGR’s Instagram account, Medialab X’s account, Impronta Granada’s X account), and audio dissemination channels (Radiolab UGR’s Spreaker Account and Radiolab UGR’s Spotify account. As these channels are structurally embedded within the University, they remain active beyond the duration of individual projects, contributing to the long-term sustainability of the initiative. Participants regularly use these platforms to disseminate activities, announce science-policy dialogue events, and share territorial initiatives related to research and public decision making. This continuous use of shared communication spaces strengthens visibility, facilitates coordination among actors, and supports the consolidation of the UGR County Councils as a permanent science-policy interface at the territorial level.

Continuing challenges are sustaining long-term engagement in the face of academic workloads, changing political cycles, and the need for stable incentives and institutional support to ensure continuity beyond individual events.

How the activities evaluated?

Evaluation of sustained engagement is structured around short-, medium-, and long-term objectives.

In the short term (by 2026), evaluation focuses on the consolidation of ten County Councils as stable governance structures representing all regions of Granada, the active participation of more than 200 stakeholders (including researchers, policymakers, businesspeople, and citizens), the creation of at least two pilot projects addressing regional priorities such as sustainable mobility, rural depopulation, cultural heritage, and agro-ecological innovation, and the strengthening of the institutional image of the University of Granada as a leader in social innovation and regional collaboration. These aspects are assessed through participation data and impact evaluation surveys.

In the medium term (2026–2030), evaluation looks at the creation of Impronta Regional Development Centers in collaboration with the Diputación de Granada, the integration of the County Councils as a permanent advisory and cooperation mechanism within the University’s governance model, the increased inclusion of regional challenges in research, innovation, and teaching agendas, and the strengthening of alliances with regional and European institutions to cofund and scale initiatives.

In the long term (beyond 2030), evaluation focuses on the institutionalization of the County Councils as a transferable model of university-community collaboration, the consolidation and expansion of the Impronta Regional Development Centers as long-term infrastructural nodes for regional innovation and civic collaboration, and their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Andalusian Smart Specialization Strategy, embedding sustainability and participation into public decision making.

Do you want to know more about the policy engagement toolkit?

Do you want to share your experience in policy engagement? Do you think about contributing to the policy engagement toolkit? Feel free to contact Tome Sandevski via science-policy@pvw.uni-frankfurt.de