Establishing the first behavioural insights team in public health in Poland: the BOND initiative

Background

Behavioural insights (BI) are increasingly used to improve public health policies and interventions. While many European countries have institutionalised behavioural science units, Poland has lacked a formal structure integrating behavioural expertise into public health governance.

Issue

Public health interventions often fail due to insufficient consideration of behavioural determinants. There is a need to strengthen the use of behavioural evidence in policy design, implementation, and evaluation in Poland.

Description of the problem

In 2025, the Chief Sanitary Inspector established the first national Behavioural Insights Team (BOND) in public health in Poland. The team brings together representatives of academia, public health management, and supervisory institutions, ensuring cross-sectoral expertise. All members completed a structured training programme delivered by international experts, covering behavioural science foundations, research methods, intervention design, ethics, and applications in vulnerable populations. The programme combined in-person and online modules led by institutions such as UNICEF, LSHTM, ECDC and Yale School of Medicine, with a strong focus on practical skills, including human-centred design and evaluation methods.

Results

The establishment of the team is a key step towards embedding behavioural science into public health policy in Poland. Within its first year, the team delivered its first project. Initial outcomes include increased institutional capacity, improved interdisciplinary collaboration, and readiness to design evidence-based interventions.

Lessons learned

Key success factors include high-level support, interdisciplinary composition, and comprehensive training. Challenges include integrating BI into existing structures and ensuring sustainability. This experience may inform similar initiatives in other countries.

Key messages

• Poland has established its first national behavioural insights team (BOND), integrating science into public health policy through cross-sector collaboration and international capacity building.

• Comprehensive training by global experts enabled rapid development of behavioural competencies, positioning Poland to design evidence-based interventions and strengthen public health outcomes.