Background: In order to provide good quality, universal and equitable health care, managers need to make well informed decisions. This necessitates access to and use of reliable research evidence. For some health systems questions, evidence is still not accessible in forms that facilitate its use. Objectives: To describe how the SURE project aims to facilitate policymakers’ access to and use of research evidence that is relevant, reliable, accessible and timely. Methods: A consortium was established and priority health system issues identified within each African partner country. Country teams will develop policy briefs that will draw on evidence from the Cochrane Library, among other sources. Policy dialogues will be organised to discuss the policy briefs and engage stakeholders in considerations of the health systems problem, options for addressing the problem and strategies for implementing the options. Rapid response mechanisms and a clearing house for policy-relevant research will be developed and pilot tested to respond to policy makers’ urgent needs for research evidence. User friendly formats are also being developed for summarising and presenting policy briefs and rapid responses, and these are being user tested. Results: A consortium of teams from 11 African countries supported by teams from 3 European countries, Canada and theWorld Health Organization has been established. Each African partner will have prepared at least one policy brief and organised at least one policy dialogue by October 2010. Policy questions include expanding the use of health workers to deliver cost-effective interventions; improving the governance of health districts and reducing maternal and infant mortality. Pilot testing of a rapid response service will be completed in June 2010. User testing and development of clearing houses are ongoing. Conclusions: Concerted efforts are needed to ensure that relevant evidence is accessible and used appropriately by policy makers to inform decisions about health systems. This is particularly challenging and important in settings with severe constraints on resources and many competing priorities, such as African countries.