Mapping

STEPS initially, through interviews during country visits and internet sources, identified elements of systems for public health research in the 12 EU new member states, and developed a resource by country of leading organisations and individual contacts.

Workshops

Following the initial visits, STEPS chose a lead organisation in each country to become a partner. The partner was responsible for organising a workshop during March 2010 in each country.The workshops brought together stakeholders – including the national public health associations, non-governmental organisations, health ministries, research councils, research institutes and researchers – to explore and develop knowledge about civil society organisations and public health research systems.

For the workshops, speakers were commissioned to give presentations covering how the public health research system functions in the country, how it may be enhanced through European contacts, and the contribution of civil society organizations, as well as each country choosing a special theme for discussion.

The workshops were held in the country’s own language to encourage open debate, and the papers and reports subsequently translated into English.

Conference

STEPS was presented in Amsterdam in November 2010 at EUPHA’s annual scientific conference, at a session organised jointly with the European Commission’s Research and Innovation Directorate, and Health and Consumers Directorate, and with representatives of heaslth systems in EU countries and projects mapping health research in specific fields. This was followed by a presentation of STEPS at the Global Meeting on Health Systems Research held in Montreux, Switzerland, also in November 2010.

Dissemination

In the second phase of STEPS, the country partners took their workshop reports back for discussion with their ministries of health, held a project Open Event at European Level in Brussels, 2-3 May 2011, and taken the final report for discussion with European and country level stakeholders.

STEPS Report: Public Health Research – Europe’s Future is published on 5 October 2011