Indiana Family Impact Seminars (INFIS)

The Indiana Family Impact Seminars (INFIS), based on a nationally recognized academic-legislative engagement model, connects Indiana legislators, legislative staff, and agency leaders with objective, evidence-based research on issues affecting families and communities.

Advancing evidence-informed system change through research partnerships

INFIS provides a nonpartisan forum for:

• Sharing research,

• Fostering informed discussions that support the health and well-being of Indiana families,

• Strengthening relationships between researchers and state leaders, and

• Demonstrating the value of research in addressing real-world challenges.

What we are doing

As the Indiana CTSI assumes leadership of INFIS, our initial focus will be to listen and learn from legislators, legislative staff, and national exemplars in academic-legislative engagement.

The goal is not to define priorities upfront, but rather to co-design an approach for identifying topics of interest, sharing evidence in useful and accessible ways, and understanding what complementary resources, such as data, local context, and impact stories, may add value.

Working in partnership with researchers across Indiana, including those from Indiana CTSI partner institutions, Indiana University, Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame, Ball State University, and the Regenstrief Institute, we will implement a stakeholder-informed approach to support evidence-informed discussions on issues affecting Indiana families and communities.

The INFIS initiative is designed to:

• Connect legislators and legislative staff with timely, objective research findings.

• Promote informed discussions about issues that affect Indiana families and communities.

• Foster trusted relationships among researchers, lawmakers, and community partners.

• Create sustainable processes for translating evidence into conversations and practice.

• Support the use of family well-being as an important consideration in systems change.