Stakeholder engagement collection

From our 'Getting started...' webpage

Stakeholder engagement is the process of involving and working together with stakeholders before, during, and after the research project. It helps to ensure the project’s relevance to local communities and health systems as well as its sustainability, bridging the gap between research, practice, and policy. Engaging stakeholders is critical from project ideation, throughout the project duration, and afterwards in sustainment and knowledge translation.

Recommended reading:

  • The science of stakeholder engagement in research: classification, implementation, and evaluation (Goodman and Thompson, 2017) – click here
  • How to engage stakeholders in research: design principles to support improvement (Boaz et al. 2018) – click here

To find out how to get started with implementation research, click here.

From our Fundamentals Programme

We continue with understanding the role and importance of stakeholders in the implementation research process.

In this lecture from our Fundamentals Programme, Lijing Yan explains the crucial role of stakeholder engagement in implementation research, particularly in improving processes, outcomes, and ensuring sustainability.

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Next, Ruth Verhey explores the community participatory action research approach (CPAR). In this lecture, Ruth introduces the principles of CPAR, highlighting its focus on promoting health equity through a bottom-up, community-driven approach.

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For more information and to access the full Fundamentals Programme click here.

From our Advanced Programme

Next, we move on to highlight key aspects of stakeholder engagement within the context of implementing NCD programmes at scale.

Aneth Dinis explains the key stakeholders to engage when scaling up interventions. You’ll learn how to involve community leaders, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and funders to ensure scalable and sustainable outcomes.

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Next, Adolfo Rubinstein discusses how to engage stakeholders to influence policy changes. You’ll learn practical strategies to bridge research and policy, and how to navigate the political landscape for effective implementation.

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And lastly, you will hear from Monika Martens about the utility of policy dialogues. Monika covers what a policy dialogue is, the benefits to a scale up research project, applying a political science lens, and her top tips for deliver a policy dialogue.

🔗 Download the slides (pdf)

For more information and to access the full Advanced Programme, click here.

From our Resources and toolkit library

In this section, we provide a selection of valuable resources to help deepen your understanding and application of stakeholder engagement and participatory research models. These resources are designed to support your work in building effective relationships and ensuring meaningful involvement of all key stakeholders.

Below, you’ll find links to toolkits and frameworks that offer practical guidance, case studies, and methodologies for engaging diverse groups, including policymakers, communities, and Indigenous partners.

NIH Fogarty International Center Toolkit Part 2

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This toolkit offers insights into participatory research models and strategies for building strong stakeholder relationships.

GACD Stakeholder engagement resource collection

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Explore this resource collection focused on engaging various stakeholders such as policymakers, communities, and implementing partners, with tools for stakeholder mapping.

GACD’s Top tips for engaging policymakers

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The GACD team has developed eight top tips for researchers when engaging with policymakers and influencing the policy process. 

He Pikinga Waiora Implementation Framework

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This framework, centred on Indigenous knowledge, philosophy, and methods from New Zealand’s Kaupapa Māori, provides a co-design approach to implementation.

To access our curated implementation science resources, click here.

From our case studies

In this final section of the learning pathway, you will dive into real-world case studies that demonstrate how stakeholder engagement plays out in practice. After exploring various lectures, resources, and publications, these case studies will provide practical examples of how diverse stakeholders have been successfully involved in scaling up interventions, shaping policies, and ensuring sustainable impact. These examples will help consolidate your understanding of the strategies and challenges involved in stakeholder engagement, offering insights that can be applied to your own research and projects.

Scaling up of physical activity interventions at the national level in Brazil

The case demonstrates how involving multiple sectors—government, health, and community groups—was essential to the success of the nationwide expansion of the ‘Academia da Cidade’ physical activity programme.

🔗 Download the pdf

To access our full range of case studies, click here.

From GACD's impact case studies

GACD impact case studies highlight where GACD-funded research is helping to drive the changes necessary to tackle NCDs in different parts of the world. Below are three case studies that illustrate the importance of stakeholder engagement.

Scaling-up community-led diabetes and NCD awareness and response in Bangladesh

The project team engaged with governmental, service providers and non-governmental stakeholders at the sub-district, district and national level to explore contextual barriers and enablers. 

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Strengthening collaboration between healthcare providers and communities for hypertension and diabetes prevention and control in Vietnam

The SUNISEA project developed a comprehensive approach, linking community groups, primary health care facilities and decision-makers in a joint programme to improve the prevention and management of NCDs

🔗 Click here

Transforming Mental Health: Standardising the treatment, prevention, and management of depression in China

The project team collaborated with policymakers from the project’s inception, regularly reporting project progress to the public health department, sharing findings with policymakers, and discussing how they can be integrated into the subsequent health policies and plans.

🔗 Click here

To access GACD’s growing number of impact case studies, click here.

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