Public sector service enhancement at the University of Copenhagen

A successful knowledge-based environmental reform requires a strategy that engages university and public sector actors to inform policy and public service design through research across nature, climate, environment, and agriculture.

The BROKER project investigates how UCPH can enhance its Public Sector Service (PSS) practices and relationships to foster inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration, improved coordination of PSS processes, and strengthened internal capacity for informing policy processes.

The project is organized into three parts:

1. Comparative analysis of PSS-processes and frameworks at UCPH

Using qualitative interviews, organisational documents, and a survey, this part of the project uncovers variations and barriers in the approaches to and capacity for delivering research-based advice at UCPH.

The two comparative cases are IFRO and Klima- og Omstillingsrådet (KOR). IFRO is chosen for its highly formalised advisory role, core set of colleagues with extensive experience in well-established research-policy networks, and clear organisational processes. KOR provides a contrasting perspective, operating in a less formalised, bottom-up framework that highlights how disciplines and researchers engage with PSS and build networks independently. By comparing experienced and less-experienced researchers, the project seeks to identify key areas for supporting the professionalisation and skills development relevant for researchers’ individual and collective capacity to engage effectively with policymakers and policy-processes.

2. Qualitative interview study at Danish ministries

This part of the project maps how the Ministry of Environment and Gender Equality; the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries; and the Ministry of the Green Tripartite identify evidence needs, formulate knowledge requests, recruit expertise, and maintain relationships with university researchers, particularly those at UCPH.
This part of the project aims to uncover the beliefs, practices, dynamics, and institutional factors that enable or hinder transdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge integration in the context of PSS.

3. Recommendations and module for integrative policy collaboration and capacity-building

The third part develops actionable recommendations and pilots an interdisciplinary support module that seeks to strengthen UCPH’s organisational capacity for integrated PSS and foster researchers’ ability to engage in responsible and integrated policy collaboration.

The BROKER project is a collaborative effort between the Department of Food and Resource Economics, the Department of Political Science, and Queen Mary’s Centre.