Organized by the Open Society Think Tank Fund with Open Society Fund Prague and Google, an interactive workshop was organized aimed at enabling more effective use of data in policy-relevant research and advocacy. The workshop took place in Prague on November 7 and 8, 2013.

This capacity-building event provided an opportunity for participants who already had at least elementary knowledge and experience in using data for policy-relevant research and evidence-informed advocacy to gain additional knowledge, tools, and contacts that could empower them to further integrate the use of data into the think tank’s standard toolkit.

The overall aim of the event was to contextualize the use of new technologies and approaches within each organization’s overall efforts, including their overall advocacy and communications strategies. As each step of the policy cycle requires different tools or approaches in order to achieve advocacy and communications goals, it is important that this work be integrated into the organization’s strategy, without becoming an aim in itself.

On behalf of Center for Research and Studies GEA, the workshop was attended by the program director, Mr. Ognjen Djukic.