{"id":556,"date":"2024-04-10T12:17:08","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T12:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.horoscope-conseil.com\/?p=556"},"modified":"2025-03-26T19:15:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T19:15:23","slug":"using-research-to-solve-societal-problems-starts-with-building-connections-and-making-space-for-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.horoscope-conseil.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/10\/using-research-to-solve-societal-problems-starts-with-building-connections-and-making-space-for-young-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Using research to solve societal problems starts with building connections and making space for young people"},"content":{"rendered":"
One or two or 10 studies won't solve our most complex societal challenges. Big problems require collaborations beyond academia.
\n<\/span> Orbon Alija\/E+ via Getty Images<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Often, when scientists do research around a specific societal challenge, they hope their work will help solve that larger problem. Yet translating findings into long-lasting, community-driven solutions is much harder than most expect. <\/p>\n

It seems intuitive that scientists studying living organisms, microbes and ecosystems could apply their findings to tackle food shortages, help keep environments healthy and improve human and animal health. But it\u2019s not always that easy. Issues like climate change, renewable energy, public health and migration are complex<\/a>, making direct solutions challenging to develop and implement.<\/p>\n

As a group<\/a> of<\/a> researchers<\/a> invested in helping scientists create meaningful impact with their work, we understand problems like these will need experts from different fields and industries to work together. <\/p>\n

This means we might need to reevaluate certain aspects of the inquiry process and embrace fresh perspectives if we, as members of the scientific community, want to improve our capacity for producing solutions-oriented research. <\/p>\n

Defining use-inspired research<\/h2>\n

Science does not occur in a vacuum. Factors including funding availability, access to advanced technologies and political or social contexts can influence<\/a> the kinds of studies that get done. A framework called use-inspired research and engagement, or UIRE, acknowledges this fact. <\/p>\n

In use-inspired research<\/a>, the potential applications of findings for society shape the directions of exploration. <\/p>\n

In UIRE, researchers work with members of a community to figure out what questions they should look into. They form partnerships with other stakeholders, including governments, businesses of all scales and nonprofits, to form a collaborative foundation. This way, researchers can tailor investigations from the outset to be useful to and usable by decision-makers. <\/p>\n

Translational research<\/a>, or intentionally grounding scientific exploration in practical applications, isn\u2019t new<\/a>. Use-inspired research expands on translational research, prioritizing building connections between practitioners and communities.<\/p>\n

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