Interdisciplinary research with ODA impacts · GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund Global...
Transcript of Interdisciplinary research with ODA impacts · GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund Global...
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
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Interdisciplinary research with ODA impacts
Sian Rowland
Senior Policy Manager, International Development
UK Research and Innovation
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
What’s coming up...
• Challenge-led and impact focused research
• Novel interdisciplinary approaches
• Genuine and equitable global partnerships
• Effective organisation and leadership
• General observations
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
Challenge-led and impact focused
research
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
Discipline-led
I’m a carpenter; pay me
to make these different
things
Challenge-led
Pay me to build a bridge.
I’ll work with a carpenter,
designer, engineer, river
expert…
A different way of thinking...
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
Provides the opportunity to:
• Generate excellent and novel
research
• Translate research into
measurable development impacts
• Deliver a broad range of scalable
impacts
• Develop a sustainable programme
with a legacy beyond the initial
investment
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Novel interdisciplinary approaches
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
Interdisciplinary research excellence
• Excellent research capacity
• Capacity to think across,
between, within SDGs
• Assemble new knowledge and
insights across different research
communities
• Strategically build on previous
investments
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• Why is your challenge intractable?
• Why have previous attempts been unsuccessful?
Multi-dimensional and complex challenges which:
- Cut across SDGs
- Are resistant to change
- Are prone to fragmented responses
- Cannot be solved by a single organisation, sector
or discipline
• How is your approach different?
• Why will it work this time?
Tackling these challenges will require:
- Capacity to think across, between and within
SDGs
- Clear understanding of how different disciplines
can contribute
- An awareness of underlying factors and contexts
Intractable development
challenges
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Genuine and equitable global partnerships
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
Global Partnerships: Opportunities
Multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, transboundary partnerships can
promote:
• Innovation
• Sharing knowledge and expertise
• Access to resources, field sites, infrastructure
• Capacity building
• Improved learning and practice
• Greater impact
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Global Partnerships: Challenges
• Different priorities, interests, expectations, goals, schedules
• Different capacities and access to resources
• Different processes, structures
• Different legal and ethical frameworks
• Cultural differences
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Equitable global partnerships
Underpin the aims of GCRF, requiring:
• Co-development with international partners (academic
and non-academic)
• Substantial, genuine and meaningful
collaboration/engagement
• Full consideration of relevant developing country context
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Equity: Asymmetric relationships
Governance Coproduction
of research
Impact
UKUK
UKLMICLMIC
LMIC
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Models of Engagement
• Safari science – “Northern” researchers visit LMICs with own research agenda, collect
samples/data, return to “North” and publish results
• Postal model - samples are collected by “Southern” partners who mail them to the
“Northern” researcher
• Deficit model – presumes that the “South” is deficient in knowledge/expertise/capacity
and that the “North” is able to provide assistance
Mutual benefit – recognises that the collaboration provides benefits to both parties.
Recognises that all partners provides unique and valuable contributions
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What can cause inequalities in partnerships?
Power imbalances
• Research agenda/priorities set by “Northern” partners with limited engagement of
“Southern” partners
• Funds are held by the “Northern” institutions
• Project administration/management disproportionately influenced by “Northern” partners
Resource disparities
• Limited access of “Southern” partners to infrastructure, facilities, technologies etc.
• “Southern” researchers may not have protected time for research
• “Southern” institutions may not have staff to manage collaboration agreements/IP etc.
Local context
• Lack of appreciation for importance of indigenous knowledge
• Lack of safeguards to ensure outputs are owned/controlled by local stakeholders
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What promotes equitable partnerships?
• Joint agenda setting
• Regular communication – avoid assumptions - mutual agreement on meaning and purpose
of the work
• Fair recognition of interests and incentives of all partners
• Clarity of roles and responsibilities
• Build mutual trust – transparency and accountability - decision making processes and
budgets
• Invest time in the partnership – building relationships is a long term process – build time into
the project and request funds for face to face meetings
• Regular reviews of health of the partnership
• Dispute resolution process
Fairness, transparency, mutual responsibility, mutual benefit
- maximise benefits and mitigate risks
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Advice of a DFID country adviser:
partner, engage, represent
• Seek to create strong partnerships. In country researchers are likely to
understand the problem; the political economy and opportunities for
impact; they may have greater access
• Engage policy makers in country, but use their time wisely
• Engage with national processes & routine meetings for discussions on
policy change; avoid stand alone meetings where possible
• Represent robust research and evidence relating to the challenge(s);
don’t lobby. • Draw on the wider body of evidence
• Do the research conclusions pass real-world feasibility testing?
• What would be the cost benefit of implementing change?
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Governance structure
Agree a governance structure with your partners
Things to consider - how will the partnership:
• Develop and agree research questions, research approaches and research methods
• Agree roles and responsibilities – data analysis and interpretation, communication with funders,
coordinating project comms etc.
• Access and sharing information – decisions, budgets, data
• Manage ownership and control of outputs including data, results and intellectual property
• Determine authorship, conference attendance and interaction with stakeholders
• Disseminate results and outputs
• Manage and resolve conflict within the partnership
• Evaluate and monitor the health of the partnership
• How will the partnership end
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Collaboration agreements help to provide clarity, provide a framework for
equitable partnership and promote transparency and accountability
Collaboration agreements should include details on:
Transparent budgets and payment schedules to each partner
Roles and responsibilities of each partner, communication and leadership structure
Description of the contribution of each partner to the project
Authorship and use of findings including intellectual property
Data management plan for accessing and sharing data by partners
How the project will resolve any problems
Adherence to the grant Terms and Conditions
Collaboration Agreements
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Guidelines and toolkits
KPFE - A guide for transboundary research partnerships
https://naturalsciences.ch/organisations/kfpe/11_principles_7_questions
ESPA – Research for development impact: The role of equitable partnerships
https://www.espa.ac.uk/
Rethinking research partnerships: Discussion guide and toolkit (NGOs)
https://rethinkingresearchpartnerships.com
Partnership assessment toolkit
http://www.ccghr.ca/resources/partnerships-and-networking/partnership-
assessment-tool/
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Effective organisation and leadership
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Organisation and leadership
• Shared values and goals
• Strong research and operational leadership
• Appropriate and effective monitoring and evaluation
• Ability to learn and adapt
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Why monitor, evaluate and learn?
Accountability: • Large investment of ODA funds
• Need evidence of serious efforts towards optimisingGCRF to deliver economic development and welfare in LMICs.
Learning:• Innovation and adaptation in complex process
• Test assumptions and maintain focus on results
• Improve projects, adapt and refine
• Follow-on research questions
• Evidence on how GCRF research contributes to solving development problems.
GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund
Complex policy and practice landscape
• Multi-level governance:
• Local
• National
• Regional
• International
• Diverse, interrelated actors, state and non-state:
• Local authorities
• Sectoral ministries and regulatory bodies;
• Enterprises, commercial and private sector;
• Civil society, national and international;
• Research networks and systems;
• Multilateral organisations e.g. UN, World Bank.
• People – women, men, children, families, communities
Addis Ababa, 2016 © Jennifer Leavy 2016
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MEL in complex research programmes
• Theory-based approach – theory of change.
• ToC provides an explanation of how the programme is supposed to work.
• Informs what to monitor regularly –for progress.
• Frames evaluation of how and why programmes are working and/or not working – for adaptation and improvement.
Use ToC to build the MEL system – not just for the proposal!
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General observations
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Observations from previous calls
Don’t …
Be esoteric .. or be superficial
“Trust me, I’m an expert”
Play discipline bingo
Collect unnecessary project
partners
Claim to solve global poverty
Be insensitive to local context
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Lessons from Grow Call
Rework needed:
Project management, including risk management
• Value for money is essential but so is making sure you have
sufficient resources to deliver the project
Governance
Due diligence and funding assurance
Monitoring and evaluation
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General observations - Hubs outline stage
Fit to call
• Proposals must be transformative and innovative
• Demonstrate that the programme is designed to address the challenge
(not the other way round)
International research partnerships
• In-country partners need to be appropriate, involved in the scoping, leadership,
management and governance (and not just the delivery of the research)
• Be sensitive to ethical and equitable approach to international research partnerships
• Be realistic about global partnership
Potential for Impact
• Clearly outline the pathways to impact including the key milestones/steps along the way
• Applicants need to demonstrate an understanding of the context (societal, cultural,
political, historical, economic etc.) and how this might affect delivery of impact