The impacts of climate change can have devastating effects on urban areas, which are home to over half of the global population. The scale and complexity of cities and towns, as hubs for economic, political and social activity, can make it difficult to plan for and implement actions to build resilience to the changing climate whilst continuing to thrive and grow. Research, when effectively targeted and communicated, can play a valuable role in informing actions taken in urban areas, by filling in evidence gaps, identifying key areas for action, or assessing possible approaches. In October 2013, NISTPASS1, ISET2 and IIED jointly convened a workshop for researchers engaged in the urban climate resilience arena in Vietnam. The workshop centered on approaches to ensuring that research is relevant to the policy environment and more effectively reaches its target audience. This briefing paper sets out the key recommendations which emerged from the contributions of the research teams and the productive discussions held during the workshop, which are of relevance to researchers everywhere.