Department Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development

The team at Sandec produces fantastic cutting-edge research on water, sanitation, and solid waste management. However, it isn’t always clear how this evidence leads to sectoral impact or how practitioners can shape research insights. The Knowledge Brokerage team at Sandec bridges research and practice by connecting scientific information, experts, and stakeholders. We aim to facilitate the exchange of insights and expertise, translating research into action and seeking feedback to align research to context. We do this in four main ways: 

• Synthesis – We work with Sandec researchers to help synthesise important findings and translate insights for diverse audiences. This often includes the co-development of knowledge products such as learning briefs, guidelines, presentations, and videos.  
• Dissemination – We leverage multimodal and multichannel communication techniques to share insights, build communities for knowledge exchange. This includes working through established WASH networks and platforms such as LinkedIn and WhatsApp.  
• Uptake – We actively engage practitioners to foster ongoing two-way dialogue and evaluate how insights are being used. This often includes collecting practitioner feedback to share back with researchers and monitoring how materials and insights are being accessed, shared, and used.  
• Research – We develop and advance knowledge about the process and outcomes of knowledge brokerage in the WASH sector. This includes conducting research on knowledge brokerage as a dynamic capability within the organisations and tracing knowledge trends in the WASH sector.