Academic institutions and regional governments: two worlds apart?

Partnerships between regional governments and academic institutions are central to resolving public health issues, which are often complex and require the insight of both partners.

To discuss the relationships between academia and practice, the WHO Regions for Health Network, Østfold University College, Norway, and the Norwegian University for Life Sciences, Ås, Norway, organized a roundtable discussion entitled “Academic institutions and regional governments: two worlds apart?” at the 12th European Public Health Conference (Marseille, France, 20–23 November 2019). The focus of the discussion was   on examining both the advantages and the shortcomings of these relationships.

Partnerships for public health between regional governments and academic institutions

In opening the roundtable discussion, Jo Ese, Prorector, Østfold University College, Halden, Norway, commented that a partnership can be described as a voluntary, equal and binding agreement between different stakeholders on ways of cooperating in an effort to reach a common goal.

Especially within governance, partnerships are seen as a necessary and important means of solving complicated “wicked problems”.  This is reflected in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development where the development of partnerships is described as an important tool for use in achieving its goals and gaining sustainability.

Special importance might be attached to public health partnerships at the regional level since many subnational regions in Europe have considerable amounts of responsibility for and decision-making power in important areas, such as prevention, health promotion and health care. Partnerships between regional governments and academic institutions can be challenging because of the strict principles that academics are required to follow in designing research. In addition, the conceptualization, operationalization, and prioritization of public health issues vary across sectors.

Joining two worlds: when academia and real life meet

Although partnerships between regional governments and academic institutions can be complicated, many do exist within the Regions for Health Network, both formal and informal. This was clearly illustrated by Camilla Ihlebæk, Professor, Department of Public Health, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, and Østfold University, Norway, who presented the results of the project, “Partnerships for public health between subnational governments and universities within the WHO Regions for Health Network”. The aim of the project was to identify and describe public health partnerships existing in these regions, ways in which the regions formalize and organize them, important enablers, practical aspects involved, perceived benefits and successes, and challenges met. Thirty-one (31) regions (72%) completed a designated questionnaire and group interviews were conducted in 4 regions with longstanding experience in public health partnerships: Østfold, Norway; Varna, Bulgaria; Utrecht, Netherlands; and Saskatchewan, Canada.

As a result of a group discussion involving: Anni Skipstein, Chief Officer, Public Health, Østfold County, Norway, Klara Dokova, Vice Dean, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Varna,  Bulgaria, Liesbeth van Holten, Programme Manager and Public Entrepreneur, Healthy Urban Living at Provincie Utrecht, Netherlands, and Cory Neudorf, Chief Medical Health Officer for the Saskatoon Health Region, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, the following crucial points were underlined.

• It is possible to build sustainable partnerships between regional governments and universities to address public health challenges.
• Such partnerships are perceived as being beneficial to both partners.
• Although those involved represent two different worlds, partnerships between regional governments and academic institutions can be powerful and effective in addressing public health challenges.
• The development of sustainable partnerships between academia and regional governments requires the patience of motivated representatives of each in building mutual understanding and trust.
• Factors that enable and sustain partnerships are consistent across geographic, thematic and sociodemographic differences.

A forthcoming Regions for Health Network publication

This publication, which will be launched in 2020, will provide an in-depth analysis of public health partnerships between regional governments and academic institutions in the Regions for Health Network. It will include brief case studies illustrating successful examples of such partnerships in some of the regions.