The paper aims to analyse the relationship between educational research and its use in the policy-making process in the Romanian educational system. We examine the ways in which research is mobilized into policy, how this influence operates and whether it can be improved. We focus firstly upon research production, identifying the researchers’ perception regarding the quality and their research potential with respect to the policy-making process. Secondly, we analyse policy makers’ opinions regarding research and its use in the policy-making process. Finally, we identify obstacles and opportunities presented by the mobilization of research into policy making and make some suggestions for improvement. In the educational field, the link between research and policy making was intensely debated and literature concluded that academic research rarely has a policy impact and often fails to meet the decision-makers’ needs (Coburn & Talbert, 2006; Hess, 2008; Levin & Edelstein, 2010; Cherney, Povey, Head, Boreham, & Ferguson, 2012). This gap was explained by communication problems between policymakers and researchers, drawing on the argument that they live in different contexts, sharing differing languages, values and professional cultures (Bell, Cordingley, Isham, & Davis, 2010 and Ion and Iucu, 2015). Research is seen as lacking relevance and quality (Scott, 2000), “stability and quality” (Teichler, 2000), as being “weakly institutionalized” (Scott 2000) or having a low influence on policy making (Locke, 2009). On the other hand, policy-makers are considered to have little interest in research and its applicability and claim it is difficult to access research results (Ungerleider, 2012). We use a mixed approach combining a survey and in-depth interviews with researchers and policy-makers in Romania. The research identifies some aspects causing the above mentioned gap. These are related to the production of research and to the fact that results do not always meet society’s needs. Researchers consider their activity is influenced by the financing bodies’ priorities and claim for a real relationship between research results and political trends in order to create the conditions for the transfer of results to policy. They have low expectations regarding the contribution of research to decision-making and the quality of their studies. The links between the two contexts may add value to the linkage between research production and its transfer and use. Thus, it may improve the parties’ sense of responsibility, as long as this is based on equality, mutual respect and shared responsibilities.

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