They will collaborate to improve the link between universities and policy practitioners in the field of health crises. It is based on an already existing Nordic interdisciplinary collaboration, also funded by Nordforsk, that was developed in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. An established university network for health crises in Sweden will guide HealthCrisNet’s formation.
HealthCrisNet is both interdisciplinary, incorporating expertise from several relevant fields, and inter-Nordic. The university-based project partners will invite their collaborators in the policy field, primarily government agencies, to participate in the network. Together with these actors, HealthCrisNet will conduct various activities, including workshops, writing retreats, hybrid seminars, among others, aimed at improving interdisciplinary collaboration and nurturing the connection between universities and policy practitioners in the Nordics. By strengthening this relationship, HealthCrisNet aspires to contribute to improved health crises preparedness, resilience, response and management across the Nordics.
HealthCrisNet defines a health crisis as A hazardous disruption that causes significant effects on human health and risks exceeding the health system’s ability to cope. An all-hazards approach, or viewing health crises from a holistic perspective, will be adopted. With this, HealthCrisNet will work in three key thematic areas: pandemic preparedness and response, extreme weather events and climate change and emergency response in a changing geopolitical landscape. Having an all-hazards focus allows HealthCrisNet to take commonalities into account and avoid overemphasis on one single hazard.
Ultimately, this network aims to make the expertise housed at universities more readily available to policymakers to support their decisions in preparedness and response to health crisis. Referred to as science-to-policy, HealthCrisNet will contribute to evidence-based policy by producing policy briefs and engaging in the public debate on health crises to produce concrete, actionable policy recommendations and facilitate knowledge transfer.
