From research to policymaking: insights from China

Author: Deidre Hudson Reuss

Senior Marketing Manager

What difference does your research make beyond academia? For many researchers, this question is becoming increasingly important. While citations remain a key benchmark, there is growing emphasis on how research contributes to real-world challenges — informing decisions, shaping policy, and supporting progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Our 2025 SDG Impact Report provides new insight into this shift. Based on analysis of more than 19 million policy documents, the report shows that SDG-related policies cite academic research significantly more often than non-SDG policies. The findings suggest that research aligned with global challenges is not only more visible, but more likely to be used. 

To understand how this works in practice, and to explore practical ways of strengthening research-to-policy connections, we spoke with Dr. Wang Yan, a senior education policy expert in China. 

How research feeds into policymaking in China 

China provides a useful example of how research can be embedded within policymaking systems. By 2022, China had achieved the world’s highest average citation impact for SDG-related research, reflecting both the scale of its output and its influence in academia. China provides a useful example of how research can be embedded within China's policymaking systems. As Dr. Wang explains, this reflects a deliberately structured approach to policymaking, in which research plays a foundational role: 

“I have previously described the policymaking cycle in China as having five steps. The process begins with research. Within China’s education system, there are dedicated research organisations embedded within the Ministry of Education system… These institutes conduct research before policymaking begins.” 

This cycle moves through stages including international comparison, stakeholder consultation, pilot testing, and policy implementation. At each stage, evidence is used to inform decisions and refine direction. As Dr. Wang explains, “research is therefore an integral part of the policymaking process.”  

Rather than being applied after policies are developed, research helps shape their direction from the outset, influencing both what is prioritised and how solutions are tested. 

Creating pathways from research to policy 

One way to strengthen links between research and policymaking is through dedicated forums that bring researchers and decision-makers together. 

Dr. Wang provides an example of this — the 2025 G20 Education Dialogue in Beijing. Bringing together policymakers, researchers, and institutional leaders, the event was designed to translate research into actionable insights. Dr. Wang describes the Dialogue as “a structured mechanism for the research-policy process.” 

Discussions focused on areas such as Climate Action (SDG 13) and Quality Education (SDG 4), combining empirical research with practical examples from institutions and schools. 

Importantly, the outputs were designed to feed directly into policymaking. As Dr. Wang explains: 

“Formal outcomes, including a comprehensive conference summary and a dedicated policy advisory report, were synthesised from the discussions and formally submitted to the Ministry of Education to inform national decision-making.” 

Forums like this help ensure that research is not only discussed, but translated into outputs that can be directly used in policymaking. 

The role of collaboration between researchers and policymakers 

Closer collaboration between researchers and policymakers can further strengthen the use of evidence, particularly when it is built into the way policymaking systems operate. 

In China, this is supported through secondments, where researchers work within the Ministry of Education. This enables them to contribute directly to policymaking while bringing academic perspectives into government processes.  

Dr. Wang notes that “in doing so, they brought a research element into the policymaking process by providing analytical insights into daily administration work.” 

Collaboration is also reflected in how research priorities are set.  As Dr. Wang explains, the research themes are decided jointly with the Ministry of Education. 

By combining direct involvement in policymaking with shared priority-setting, these approaches help ensure that research is closely aligned with policy needs – making it more likely that findings are taken up in practice. 

Why access to research matters for policy impact 

Accessibility is a critical factor in determining whether research can inform policy. 

The report shows that open access (OA) research reaches policy audiences nearly 300 days faster than non-OA work and is cited more frequently in policy documents. This demonstrates how publishing choices can influence the reach and use of research. 

For Dr. Wang, this is also a question of equity: “In the SDG framework, knowledge is explicitly recognised as a global public good. Yet the traditional subscription-based publishing model effectively privatises that knowledge, creating a ‘knowledge divide’ that runs counter to the principle of leaving no one behind.” 

Limited access can prevent policymakers and practitioners from engaging with relevant evidence. As Dr. Wang notes, “evidence can only inform policy if policymakers and the institutions that advise them can actually access it,” highlighting how access directly shapes whether research can be used in practice. 

Positioning research for real-world use 

Before research informs policy, it is usually interpreted, synthesised and adapted. 

Through her work with international organisations such as the World Bank and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Dr. Wang has seen how this process often extends beyond national systems, requiring coordination across institutions, regions and policy contexts. 

The report also highlights the role of intermediary organisations, including think tanks, NGOs, and international agencies. These organisations act as knowledge brokers, translating academic research into formats that policymakers can use, and as Dr. Wang’s experience suggests, this translation step is critical. Research is more likely to inform policy when it is presented in ways that policymakers can engage with and apply, particularly in multi-stakeholder and international contexts. 

In practice, impact is shaped not only by what is published, but by how it is communicated. Outputs that are clear, concise, and aligned with policy needs are more likely to be used. Shorter formats such as policy briefs or advisory summaries are often what enable research to move into decision-making contexts. 

Supporting research impact in policy 

Drawing on the findings of this case study, researchers can take several practical steps to strengthen the policy relevance of their work: 

• Focus on usability: Present findings in ways that are clear and actionable for non-academic audiences  
• Support open access: Openly accessible research is more likely to be used in policy contexts  
• Align with global priorities: Framing work within SDG-related challenges can increase relevance  
• Engage with intermediaries: Collaborating with think tanks and similar organisations can extend reach  
• Participate in policy-focused forums: These create opportunities to connect research with decision-making 

From research to impact 

As this case study illustrates, the lesson from China is clear: research has the greatest impact when the pathways to policy are clear, structured and intentional. 

From structured policymaking processes to dedicated forums and closer collaboration between researchers and government, these examples show how evidence can be positioned to inform decision-making more effectively. 

For researchers, this underlines the importance of not only producing high-quality work, but also ensuring it is accessible and aligned with policy needs. When research is openly available and communicated in ways that support real-world use, it is far more likely to contribute to meaningful progress across the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Explore the full findings in our 2025 SDG Impact Report. 

Dr. Wang Yan 

Wang Yan is Senior Specialist, Academy of Regional and Global Governance, Beijing Foreign Studies University. In her prior role, she was Education Network Coordinator of APEC Human Resource Development Working Group from 2015 to 2022. She has over 20 years of professional experiences in the field of education policy and administration at national and international level, working with Chinese governments as well as UNESCO, World Bank, Unicef, G20 and providing intellectual strategic and operational leadership, helping to meet regional and global development needs through strategic planning, policy reforms and education innovation.
  
She has led the drafting, revision and finalization of APEC Education Strategy 2030, the first mid- and long-term plan for education development in the sphere of APEC as well as G20 Education Dialogue, a platform for education exchange for policymakers, researchers and practitioners in G20 members. She has authored, co-authored and edited numerous articles, reports, journal and books on various educational topics including groundbreaking works Education Policy Reform Trends in G20 Members as well as Research, Policymaking and Innovation: Teacher and Education Development in the Belt and Road Countries.
  
She has been selected as one of 20 thought-leaders on the future of education and learning by UNESCO for her contribution to the study on 21st century competencies and skills. She holds a Ph.D. of education policy, administration and social studies from the University of Hong Kong, a Master of Educational Economics and Administration and a first degree in English Literature.

Related content:

• How Chinese research is shaping global SDG policy 
• Can open access help SDG research achieve greater impact? 
• How SDG research drives policy: A special report 
• What can institutions learn from a systems approach to sustainability transformation? 

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