Interdisciplinary research with ODA impacts · GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund Global...

GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund

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• © The Pirbright Institute • © Thinkstock/Paul Cooper 2009

• © MRC Unit The Gambia • © HartRAO, M Gayland • © Thinkstock/Evenfh

Interdisciplinary research with ODA impacts

Sian Rowland

Senior Policy Manager, International Development

UK Research and Innovation


What’s coming up...

• Challenge-led and impact focused research

• Novel interdisciplinary approaches

• Genuine and equitable global partnerships

• Effective organisation and leadership

• General observations


Challenge-led and impact focused

research


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...


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


Novel interdisciplinary approaches


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

Image: British Academies


• 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


Genuine and equitable global partnerships


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

Image: Medium.com


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

Image: amitkalantrimagic.com


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

Image: Inside Higher Ed


Equity: Asymmetric relationships

Governance Coproduction

of research

Impact

UKUK

UKLMICLMIC

LMIC


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


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


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


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?


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

Image: growthbusiness.co.uk


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

Image: legalbeagle.com


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/

https://naturalsciences.ch/organisations/kfpe/11_principles_7_questions

https://www.espa.ac.uk/

https://rethinkingresearchpartnerships.com/

http://www.ccghr.ca/resources/partnerships-and-networking/partnership-assessment-tool/


Effective organisation and leadership


Organisation and leadership

• Shared values and goals

• Strong research and operational leadership

• Appropriate and effective monitoring and evaluation

• Ability to learn and adapt

Image: FP Training


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.


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


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!


General observations


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


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


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


Questions?

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Interdisciplinary research with ODA impacts · GCRF | Global Challenges Research Fund Global...

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