For 15 years, the Lenfest Ocean Program has worked to connect science to marine policy and practice. This month, we are launching a new series called Taking Stock, which will highlight how our scientific grantmaking approach has evolved to accomplish this goal.
The Lenfest team works with coastal communities, ocean industries, marine management agencies, and other stakeholders to better identify gaps in knowledge gaps and provide the information decision-makers need. We then collaborate with scientific experts to design practical research projects that address those challenges.
Here, we will tell the stories of our projects’ successes and challenges in our efforts to generate research that is more responsive and useful to the information needs of managers and stakeholders. Because although this process may sound intuitive, it is rarely simple. We hope that researchers, funders, and others interested in connecting science with policy and management may find useful lessons in the details of our work.