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Research into Policy training program, which includes three new educational modules: public health research, health promotion policies and evidence-based public health policy. The modules will be first delivered by European partners and later run through the Center for Evidence into Health Policy in Tunisia.

The Center for Evidence into Health Policy will provide knowledge and skills related to the field of public policies, specifically Public Health policies create and it will build and maintain collaboration and networks between universities and societal sectors in Tunisia. The training programs of the center will respond to future public health challenges and offer research based support to the national authorities in the policy development process. 

Tasks:    

2.1 Sustain an ecosystem for the Center for Evidence into Health Policy
The Center for Evidence into Health Policy will be based on a communication platform offering a constant communication flow and sharing within all project's participants and beneficiaries. It will support the delivery of the educational modules and internship placements, it will host modules materials and potential individual and/or institutional collaborations.

2.2 Develop training materials for Research into Policy training package which includes the three educational modules: public health research, health promotion policies and evidence-based public health policy
The focus of the three educational modules is to provide beneficiaries with state-of-the-art knowledge and skills needed to conduct public health research, engage in health promotion and elaborate evidence-based public health policies, in order to respond to the public health issues identified in Tunisia.
The EU partners will work to develop the training material for the three modules and the one-week shadowing, as follows:
-    UBB – Module 1. Public Health research
-    SDU – Module 2. Evidence-based public health policy
-    TU – Module 3. Health promotion policies

2.3 Deliver a train-the trainer-session for the three partner universities on the Research into Policy training program
There will be 18 trainees, 6 from each partner university. Out of these 6 trainees / university, experts will train a lecturer and a teaching assistant for each course. Each trainee will be taught the three modules included in the Research into Policy training program.

2.4 Implement a shadowing session on one of the educational modules included in the Research into Policy training program
Each trainee will be assigned to one of the public heath related fields: public health research, health promotion and evidence-based public health policies. Therefore, each partner university will have a lecturer and a teaching assistant assigned to each module. The session will include shadowing activities, giving the trainees the opportunity to specialise on one of the three public health topics and gather useful practical information from the experts' institutions. Also, each module will benefit of an on-site training, organized in each partner university. Trainees will provide the further dissemination of knowledge by teaching the face-to-face modules within their universities and act as members of the Center for Evidence into Health Policy.

2.5 Enroll future trainees within each of the three Tunisian universities.
The Research into Policy training program targets BA, Master, PhD students, Medical students, young professionals, general practitioners who may have an interest in public health and evidence-based public health policies. In order to be efficient, one training program should not exceed ten participants. Moreover, each participant needs to get enrolled into all three educational modules in order to gather all the necessary knowledge on evidence-based public health policies.

2.6 Deliver the three modules
The first series of each module will be taught by expert partners. Afterwards, using the knowledge acquired through the train-the-trainer session, each lecturer and teaching assistant will teach the module within the headquarters of the Center, in order to ensure transfer of know-how. Each headquarter established in each of the three partner universities will deliver the three educational modules. Each module will be delivered by one lecturer along with his/her teaching assistant, who were previously trained by experts. Within the Public Health research education module, trainees will develop presentation skills which are essential at conferences.

2.7 Offer at least 6 internship placements within one year at each of the three Center headquarters.
Based on the partnerships established previously with public and private institutions connected to the field of public health, each headquarter will provide support in identifying and offering internship placements.
    
2.8 Policy game
The aim of the policy game is to study organizational and process aspects in cross-sector public health policy making; more specifically  a) leadership between organizations; b) organizational networks; c) communication and organizational change processes; and d) facilitators and barriers in evidence-informed policy making. The policy game will be organized by the Center for Evidence into Health Policy with the expert partners' support.
Game simulation will be done on one real world policy case relevant for evidence-based public health policies (existing or hypothetical) and will be implemented at the head office of the Center for Evidence into Health Policy. In the preparatory phase an electronic questionnaire is used to measure use of research, attitudes, opinions, experiences and intentions/behaviors related to use of evidence; readiness for change; leadership, networking and communication as well barriers and facilitators in these. This phase provides the background input for the game simulation. In the group process phase, different stakeholders construct together a cross-sectional policy in terms of plans and intentions; game simulation on ‘real life’ policy making process is used; participants are challenged to achieve specific aims playing their actual ‘real life’ roles. In the last phase, we will measure change from the baseline indicators; discussion and interviews on process; lessons learned; facilitators and barriers related to organizational and cross-sector aspects as well as related to the game simulation and its applicability in enhancing evidence-informed policy making in the future.

Estimated Start Date 15.01.2018

Estimated End Date  15.10.2020

Lead Organisation    UBB
Participating Organisation    SDU, TU, USFAX, UTM, US