Our Research

SIPHER is a collaboration of policy and academic experts from many disciplines including public health, engineering, data science, social policy, geography, sociology and economics who come together to push the boundaries of evidence-informed public policy development.

We are working to deliver four outcomes:

  • New insights into the complex links between causes and consequences
  • A new systems sciences approach to the economics of prevention
  • A move towards multi-sectoral policy design, appraisal and evaluation
  • Lasting change to partners’ policy processes

Learn more about our systems science approach

Our Novel Approach

To deliver these outcomes we have developed an approach that blends the strengths of different scientific disciplines and methods.

Each element (workstrand) of our work complements the others, creating a cohesive research and engagement programme.

Our focus is to provide information on how policy changes may impact various real work outcomes, such as an inclusive economy, health, housing, and employment, over time and in different population segments.

With a thorough understanding of policy priorities and processes, we synthesis existing policy data and evidence, and undertake exercies in data gathering and systems modelling, before integrating everything into our multi-criteria decision support tools.

Our team includes four policy partners and together we are developing our understanding and modelling in ways that are helpful to policy actors in local, regional and national government roles, and in different parts of the UK.

 

Our policy partners have access to all our interactive decision tools. This enables them to rerun diverse policy scenarios, adapting their strategies in response to changing priorities and new real world challenges. 

We showcase our work through events, presentations, newsletters and reports for academic, policy, and public audiences. Our evidence-based products are designed to aid strategic alignment of policies across sectors, offering opportunities to enhance public health and provide additional reassurance to those making major investment decisions.

All SIPHER products - new methods, models, data sets and tools - are available for independent use, and where possible provided as open access resources.

We are always keen to develop new links with interested research centres, local and national governments, as well as health and social justice-focused charities and interest groups.