Background/objective:
Uncover is a global network of academics and students, based at the University of Edinburgh, providing rapid evidence syntheses for decision-makers. Founded in response to Covid-19, UNCOVER now also addresses other complex real-world challenges with a public health dimension, from emerging infectious diseases to climate change. Despite starting as an urgent crisis response, UNCOVER has always taken a reflective, collaborative approach to its own methods and practices. This has shaped our critical focus on capacity-building – in order to meet decision-makers’ evidence needs today and to prepare the public health leaders of the future – which may provide useful insights to others with similar priorities.

Methods:
Uncover has taken various formal and informal approaches to understanding what works and identifying improvements. Among these, key initiatives include: * Staff-led qualitative interviews with staff and student volunteers, carried out in the early months of UNCOVER’s existence; * An in-depth qualitative study carried out by UNCOVER student members in 2021; * A 2022 workshop with student members, exploring how UNCOVER has contributed to their learning and development; * After-Action Reviews of some UNCOVER projects.

Results:
Uncover’s working model contributes to four different dimensions of public health capacity-building, by bridging gaps between: * NOVICES AND EXPERTS: Providing meaningful opportunities for applied, collaborative work, with a focus on nurturing and developing students’ skills; * DISCIPLINES: Developing tools and resources which support common understanding and knowledge translation between disciplines, with an emphasis on quality and rigour; * ACADEMIA AND POLICY: Building partnerships with decision-makers and prioritising real-world questions; * COUNTRIES: Creating a wholly online community, with a global membership, in which all community members bring valuable insights and knowledge.

Conclusion:
Uncover’s working model may provide some useful insights for others with an interest in public health capacity-building, with a twin focus on addressing the challenges of today and preparing the leaders of tomorrow.