On Tuesday 9 December, PhD students from across the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre and HPRU (health protection Research Unit) attended a training session focused on knowledge mobilisation (KM) and its role in supporting research impact.
The session was led by Dr Joshua Vande Hey and explored what knowledge mobilisation means in practice, how it goes beyond dissemination alone, and why it is important to consider KM from the earliest stages of a research project. A key theme throughout was the need to think intentionally about how research can make a difference in the real world, whether through informing policy, influencing behaviour, or contributing to changes in systems and practice.
Dr Vande Hey introduced knowledge mobilisation as a two-way process that brings together researchers and research users across the research lifecycle. Rather than focusing solely on sharing findings at the end of a project, KM encourages early thinking about who might use the research, what outcomes are desired, and how knowledge can be translated into action.
The session also featured guest speakers who shared their own experiences of embedding knowledge mobilisation into their work.
Dr Elpida Vounzoulaki from the Data theme spoke about her engagement with the University of Leicester’s Institute for Policy. She described how seeking support helped her better understand policy engagement and enabled her to communicate her research to policymakers, including through visits to the Houses of Parliament. These experiences highlighted the value of engaging with policy-focused teams to support the translation of research into policy-relevant contexts.
Reflecting on her journey, Dr Vounzoulaki encouraged researchers to have confidence in their expertise, noting: “No one knows your subject as well as you do.”
Dr Thiphanie Riveron from the Environment theme shared her involvement in a project examining the indoor hospital environment. She explained how contributing to this work helped her build new professional connections and become involved in further collaborative projects with potential for impact beyond academia.
When discussing confidence and knowledge sharing, Dr Riveron emphasised the importance of recognising the full range of skills and understanding researchers bring to their work, advising: “You can use everything you know, not just your research findings.”
Across the session, speakers reinforced the idea that knowledge mobilisation should not be viewed as an add-on at the end of a project, but as an integral part of the research process. Planning for outcomes, outputs, and impact from the outset can help ensure research is relevant, accessible, and more likely to be used.
The training is expected to be rolled out more widely across the BRC in 2026, supporting researchers at different career stages to build skills and confidence in knowledge mobilisation.