review · Health Policy and Planning
A qualitative study examined the institutional needs and barriers surrounding knowledge translation within academic institutions across six low- and middle-income countries: Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria. Using literature reviews alongside 18 key-informant interviews with academic staff and health ministry policymakers, the study explored institutional readiness, motivation, and capacity building. The findings reinforce known obstacles such as deficits in time, skills, and institutional backing. In addition, three central institutional drivers emerged: a lack of soft skills needed by researchers to navigate complex policy processes, an absence of institutional incentives aligned with knowledge translation missions, and the difficulty of building and maintaining collaborative networks. Addressing these individual and institutional factors can help design targeted capacity-building strategies that satisfy organisational readiness requirements.
Academic research frequently fails to influence health policy in resource-constrained settings. By identifying specific organisational bottlenecks, including missing soft skills and unsupportive incentive structures, this work helps institutions and funders understand why research uptake stalls. Addressing these institutional barriers is essential for transforming academic findings into actionable public health policies and interventions.
The findings provide evidence to inform the design of institutional capacity-building programmes and policy-engagement training for researchers and technology transfer professionals. While this work does not detail a commercial product, its insights apply directly to university managers and health ministries seeking to establish structured knowledge translation mechanisms. The research is at an early, organisational-assessment stage, serving as a diagnostic foundation rather than a market-ready tool.
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The barriers and facilitators of conducting knowledge translation (KT) activities are well-established but less is known about the institutional forces that drive these barriers, particularly in low resource settings. Understanding organizational readiness has been used to assess and address such barriers but the employment of readiness assessments has largely been done in high-income countries. We conducted a qualitative study to describe the institutional needs and barriers in KT specific to academic institutions in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a review of the grey and published literature to identify country health priorities and established barriers and facilitators for KT. Key-informant interviews (KII) were conducted to elicit perceptions of institutional readiness to conduct KT, including experiences with KT, and views on motivation and capacity building. Participants included representatives from academic institutions and Ministries of Health in six countries (Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria). We conducted 18 KIIs, 11 with members of academic institutions and 7 with policymakers. KIIs were analysed using a deductive and inductive coding approach. Our findings support many well-documented barriers including lack of time, skills and institutional support to conduct KT. Three additional institutional drivers emerged around soft skills and the complexity of the policy process, alignment of incentives and institutional missions, and the role of networks. Participants reflected on often-lacking soft-skills needed by researchers to engage policy makers. Continuous engagement was viewed as a challenge given competing demands for time (both researchers and policy makers) and lack of institutional incentives to conduct KT. Strong networks, both within the institution and between institutions, were described as important for conducting KT but difficult to establish and maintain. Attention to the cross-cutting themes representing barriers and facilitators for both individuals and institutions can inform the development of capacity building strategies that meet readiness needs.
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DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czaa188
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