The global COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented crisis that has required rapid generation of research evidence to improve policy and practice in health, social care, and other settings. To meet this need, the researcher community has been mobilised more rapidly than ever seen before. This has created a difficult environment for policymakers and implementation actors to navigate. Particularly, as observed in UKCDR and GloPID-R's COVID-19 Research Project Tracker, thinly spread global funding has, in some instances, resulted in a proliferation of small, underpowered studies without impact. Tied to this, historically, researchers have struggled to disseminate their research to an audience beyond their disciplinary silos and connect to those who can effect change.

The pandemic has acted as a watershed moment, not only in this increased need to produce actionable evidence with clear routes to impact, but it has also logistically changed the game in how researchers interact with policymakers, civil society and other implementation actors. Researchers have had to be flexible and adapt their plans to changing restrictions. This has frequently resulted in locally-based researchers in Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC) settings taking the lead in dissemination and policy engagement activities.

The Covid Collective and COVID CIRCLE are initiatives that were set up at the start of the pandemic to support communities of researchers conducting pandemic-related research in LMIC settings. These two initiatives will be joining forces to run a fireside chat that will consider: How has COVID-19 shaped the engagement of research with policy and practice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?

The event will explore new understandings of research engagement during the pandemic in LMIC settings. This will have implications for the funding of research and research engagement strategies during the current crisis, and the recovery phase and for building future heath emergency resilience.

This webinar will explore:

• Who gets to participate in research engagement activities and why?
• Which forms of knowledge are valued by practitioners, policy actors and communities and why?
• Which channels, stakeholders and spaces are targeted?
• In what ways has the pandemic shaped research engagement in LMIC contexts?

This event is jointly convened by the IDS and the Covid Collective, and UKCDR and COVID CIRCLE Researcher Community.

Rapid Review

A rapid review will be produced alongside the event that will look at ‘Pathways to impact and the pandemic: A rapid review of Covid-19 research engagement strategies in Low- and Medium-Income country settings’

The aim of the review is to explore the different pathways to impact applied by research projects from a range of scientific disciplines, geographies and funding organisations. A draft rapid review will be validated during the event and finalised for publication shortly afterwards. Data sources include project from the following research groups:

• FCDO Covid Collective
• UKCDR COVID CIRCLE
• IDRC Covid Response for Equity Programme