The global research agenda on public health and social measures (PHSM) during health emergencies sets research priorities across multiple infectious disease hazards until 2030. It has been developed using a multi-step consultation process involving expert discussions at the first global technical consultation on PHSM and two public surveys: one to define urgent research priorities for COVID-19 and one to identify medium- to long-term priorities using a multi-hazard approach.

The research agenda features six overarching themes ranging across effectiveness, determinants of adherence and unintended health and socioeconomic consequences of PHSM implementation, hence reflecting the topic's complex and intersectoral nature. The priority setting exercise aims at promoting a cohesive and systematic approach to generating robust, multidisciplinary and policy-relevant evidence to inform PHSM decision-making and implementation during future health emergencies.