A poster presented at the LSHTM annual symposium on maximising research impact. This poster describes an action learning approach to research being used by several RESYST research projects. Under this approach, research is a collective process of enquiry between researchers and managers, with cycles of action, reflection and learning which support continuing processes of decision making. Learning sites in Kenya and South Africa form the settings for this research approach. Established over a long timeframe, they allow for the investigation of critical governance issues in real time, and of policy implementation as it occurs.