Health Policy and Systems Research has always taken seriously the importance of research being used beyond academia to serve a practical benefit, and for many research projects and programmes, efforts to achieve research uptake are placed as central to their wider research mission.

Research uptake was a key component of RESYST research consortium when it was established in 2011, with an overarching goal of enhancing the resilience and responsiveness of health systems through policy and management changes. Over the years, our experience has shown that the ways in which research contributes to changes are nuanced and varied; however, there are some factors that are essential in ensuring the uptake of research across settings.

This brief provides examples of RESYST research contributions to policy and management changes, and highlights the key factors that facilitated uptake. It provides valuable lessons for research programmes that strive for policy impact.