Implementing research priorities: webinar explores how global research agendas can lead to meaningful action

On 16 June 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted the third webinar in its series on the Global Research Agenda on Knowledge Translation and Evidence-informed Policy-making, bringing together 138 participants from 48 countries to explore a critical but often overlooked question: what happens after a research agenda is published?

While research agendas are increasingly used to guide research priorities and inform funding decisions, less attention has been paid to how they are implemented, monitored and evaluated over time. This webinar focused on practical approaches to ensuring that research priorities translate into action and contribute to better decision-making in health and social sectors.

The session opened with an update on WHO’s Global Research Agenda, which was co-created by more than 130 experts from 38 countries and identifies 19 priority areas for future research in knowledge translation and evidence-informed policy-making.

Participants then heard findings from a scoping review conducted by researchers from the Unit of Evidence and Deliberation for Decision Making (UNED) at the University of Antioquia, which examined global research agendas published between 2015 and 2025 across health, environment, education, and other sectors. The review identified recurring challenges in translating research priorities into action, including unclear governance arrangements, limited monitoring frameworks and insufficient attention to accountability mechanisms. Funding, interest-holder engagement and long-term coordination emerged as important factors supporting implementation.

Presenting the findings, Professor Daniel F. Patiño-Lugo emphasized the need to move beyond priority-setting alone, noting that “global research agendas are strong priority-setting tools, but most provide limited guidance on implementation, monitoring and evaluation.”

A second presentation from Impact Fellows at University College London’s Global Business School for Health explored lessons learned from WHO-led global research agendas published during the past decade. Conducted in collaboration with WHO, the exercise brought together experiences from 19 agendas across a wide range of health topics to identify practical approaches, common challenges and opportunities for improvement.

The findings highlighted that successful implementation rarely occurs automatically. Instead, it depends on whether follow-up activities are planned, adequately resourced and supported by clear governance arrangements. As one contributor observed, “Generating the list is the easiest way, and the main challenge starts after that.”

Discussions throughout the webinar highlighted the importance of maintaining interest-holder engagement beyond the priority-setting process, fostering shared ownership across institutions and integrating monitoring and evaluation from the outset. Speakers stressed that research agendas are more likely to have lasting impact when implementation plans, accountability mechanisms and learning processes are built in from the beginning.

Summarizing key lessons for future research agendas, the presenters emphasized three practical considerations: plan implementation early, anchor priorities within existing structures and partnerships, and track progress through appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems.

This webinar forms part of WHO’s ongoing efforts to promote the uptake and use of the Global Research Agenda on Knowledge Translation and Evidence-informed Policy-making. The agenda report and related resources are available on the Global Research Agenda website.