Lessons from a multi-country research project on climate and health policy integration

Introduction

Climate change and public health present interlinked challenges that could be more effectively addressed through stronger integration of climate and health policies. In this case report, we reflect on the process of developing and implementing a complex, multinational climate and health research project on a compressed timeframe. This research examined challenges and possibilities for climate-health policy and involved in-depth interviews with high-level policy stakeholders.

Methodology

Drawing on interviews with our research partners conducted after the project’s conclusion, we describe some of the benefits and challenges of using a centralized “hub and spoke” co-production model to manage international research collaborations.

Findings

While this approach enabled us to balance expediency with collaborative decision-making, it can raise tensions between standardization and adaptability of research methodologies. We also describe external challenges such as accelerated timelines and administrative hurdles and provide insights into our approaches to dealing with these challenges.

Conclusion

We conclude by offering project management lessons for other international research collaborations.