Our Strategic Engagement and the Communications teams recently hosted Harshanie Dasanayaka, a Microbes, Microbiomes and Bioinformatics (MMB) programme PhD student funded by the UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC).
Harshanie's professional placement helped her delve deeper into how policy is informed by science, and she shared with us what she had learnt. We caught up with her to find out more about her placement and the skills she developed during her time with the teams.
"My main project during the placement was to prepare potential position statements for the John Innes Centre (JIC). In essence, a position statement is a clear and concise declaration of an organisation's standpoint on a particular issue to inform the government, stakeholders, and the public. Its purpose is to find an organisational consensus on a relevant topic, and to use this to inform policy makers and influence positive change,
"These statements are usually around three to four pages long, using simple language to reach a broader audience. Assembling these documents involves several key steps to ensure they are comprehensive and impactful.
"Here's my account of the processes and policy engagement skills I learnt along the way.
"Firstly, I took a deep dive into background information on relevant topics for the Centre to have position statements on, for example soil health. For this topic, and some others, I drafted a briefing document, which included the history of these issues, current government interventions and policies, and what the institute has said before on these topics in the public domain.
"Additionally, I included positions and recommendations from other organisations to provide a well-rounded perspective of the context in which the position statements would be published in."
Understanding the topic – discussion, input and expert opinion
"When the briefing document was ready, I invited experts in the field at the John Innes Centre to attend a roundtable discussion. The briefing document provided a basis for the conversation, ensuring all participants were well-informed and prepared, and was supplemented with a list of policy-related guide questions as well.
"The roundtable discussion was the focal point in the process of drafting a position statement. Together with my placement supervisor Dr Eva Gordon-Sharpe, Head of Strategic Engagement, I asked questions and documented the responses from the attendees. Speaking with scientists with different areas of expertise helped bring diverse perspectives, and to ensure consensus was found.
"To gather more detailed information, we also held individual meetings with scientists. These conversations were useful as it let us explore specific details about our position statement topics and would later help us to refine the position statements using the insight we had gathered."
Drafting position statements
"Following the roundtable and individual meetings, I drafted initial versions of the position statements. These drafts included a summary of the key points, contextual information related to the topic, and the core messaging and recommendations of the institute to the government and other relevant stakeholders.
"The first drafts were sent to the roundtable members for comments. This back-and-forth process and the revisions helped me make sure the statements truly captured everyone's input. The final versions were then signed-off by roundtable members.
"The final step is the institute director's sign-off, which I left in the hands of the team, as I returned to the lab to finish my PhD. Once approved at the highest level, the position statements can then be used online and/or be used for policy messaging, effectively communicating our institute's standpoint on key topics such as soil health and food security to a broader audience.
"These documents also help anyone representing the institute to condense our collective opinion and present it to any policy makers and stakeholders they may be in contact with."
Visits and communications
"Beyond developing position statements, my diary was full of experiences during my placement. I got to attend a Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) visit to Church Farm in Bawburgh, our field trials and experimentation farm site just outside Norwich. The event was designed to showcase the latest in agricultural research to Defra officials, and scientists led discussions on the practical applications of our research.
"I gained valuable skills in writing, when I drafted news articles for our internal news platform, including a report on the Defra visit and a spotlight article about the Centre for Microbial Interactions which was recently launched at the Norwich Research Park.
"Writing articles and getting feedback from professionals taught me important points to consider when writing for a broader, non-scientific audience. I realised that sometimes the fewer details and jargon you add, the more accessible your content becomes for readers.
"During this time, I also kept logs of policy-related activities which staff and students participated in, on a monthly basis. These logs serve as reference points for policy reporting and review processes.
"During the last month of my placement, I got to spend more time with the communications team, and was mentored by Dr Felicity Perry, Head of Communications and Engagement. She took me under her wing and introduced me to the exciting world of science communication, supporting me to attend meetings and become familiar with the wide remit of the whole comms team.
"I also had the opportunity to attend a training session about blog writing, and used these new skills to craft and edit blogs including one on plant-microbe interactions."
Final thoughts
"Taking a break from my usual lab work to complete this professional placement was a transformative experience for me. It broadened my perspective and showed me how to turn scientific research into real-world policy action.
"It also gave me the chance to build a network of contacts in both the policy and science communities. My policy writing, and writing skills in general, have greatly improved too.
"I believe that understanding science policy is important for all scientists, whether or not they are directly involved in policy work. As I continue my PhD studies, I look forward to using everything I have learnt to contribute to meaningful change through science-led policy development."
