Research4development: Communication and the digital orange

Brussels, 6 June: This peer to peer session brought together a rich mix of ideas and approaches to research communication. The Southern Africa Research and Documentation Centre in Zimbabwe presented its virtual library, publishing, and expert databases; the European Commission presented plans for a European Development Report to communicate research; and the Institute of Development Studies described recent discussions they hosted on the role of infomediaries between Researchers and Policy makers.

Catherine Fisher used the metaphor of oranges production and consumption as a way to depict and understand the research information value chain. A research organisation might be the tree, others would pick the fruit, various others process, distribute, quality check, package and market the products.

Participants who found the model useful argued that it introduced new ideas such as the need for market research in the research information chain. Those questioning the model felt that research organisations could themsleves directly produce and market their information online - 'digital organges' - without the various intermediaries.

More generally, those working with African research felt that the orange we currently consume may not be as wholesome or nutritious as it could be - it is largely dominated by Northern content.

Others argued that the metaphor missed an important dimension of information. As Michel Wesseling of ISS said: "the orange when eaten is finished; information when used, and particularly when shared, just keeps on growing."

Whilst difficult to match all the elements in a research communication model, the orange metaphor certainly provided food for thought. We have the ingedients for a continued discussion ...

Find out more about research and research information at the Euforic research dossier.

Story by Chris Addison

R4D – accessing, sharing and using development research information

Brussels, 6 June. Led and facilitated by Can Akdeniz (EADI), this peer-2-peer session session included presentations by Françoise Moreau (DG Development), Catherine Fisher (IDS), and Joseph Ngwawi (SARDC). They explored approaches and tools by which the outputs of policy and research organizations are documented, accessed, and communicated. Read the stories ...

European development report: a historic initiative?

Brussels, 6 June. Following the challenging development commitments in 2005, several Member States and the European Commission are putting their efforts together to launch an annual of ambitious development reports, to strengthen the linkages of the development research with policymaking. During the R4D session facilitated by EADI, Françoise Moreau, DG Development, presented the European development report. The following entry is a comment by Can Akdeniz, EADI.

Françoise Moreau in small group - Originally uploaded by euforic

Research community in Europe

Anyone taking a closer look at the existing development research sector (including or as part of international and area studies) in Europe would surely conclude that there is a large and high-quality intellectual capacity on development issues covering almost all areas, topics and disciplines. At the heart of this capacity are the institutes of development studies, development research centres and think-tanks. They are producing academic and applied research, policy analysis and advice of very diverse character. More than 150 of these institutes in 28 countries of Europe and employing more than 3000 academics and researchers are members of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes, EADI.

However, there have been no real incentives for European development researchers to develop more international co-operative research projects at the European level to date. Such efforts should aim at developing a joint pan-European capacity on global development issues and Europe’s role in the world. Furthermore, no sufficient frameworks exist within which one could work out how research in Europe could be translated into better European policy and practice. Up until now it was left to national development agencies, universities and research councils to provide continuous support to the development research capacity in Europe. This support has more or less reflected the local needs of national constituencies i.e. bilateral donors rather than European needs in research, analysis and advice.

Policies of research donors in Europe

At the same time bilateral agencies that have paid special attention to development research have chosen to do so by supporting national capacities and sometimes Southern research capacities. Strengthened research capacities in the South have an effect on target group commitment, uptake capacity and national innovation systems, thus improving the impact of research by enhancing the uptake and application of research results.

However, the strong focus on strengthening Southern research capacities has left something of a gap in the whole picture, especially concerning the question: How to best improve the impact and utilise research produced in Europe in Southern contexts? At the same time, many bilateral agencies are supporting their national development research communities (institutes, universities or networks) to meet their specific knowledge needs in international affairs and development issues. We could easily quote and list many such examples in Europe. It seems that local needs are unlikely to disappear. Some bilateral agencies are already making efforts to improve the impact of the research funded by themselves. DFID’s research4development (http://www.research4development.info/) portal is one example.

Bridging the gap

In December 2005, the European Union (EU) published its new development policy the European Consensus on Development”, signed by the European Commission, Council, Parliament and the 25 member states. The European Consensus is ambitious as it puts forward a unified EU strategy. Principles and values for international development are formulated for the bilateral policy of both the Commission and member states. The European Consensus on Development, therefore, highlights the need to stimulate the debate on development in Europe, to enhance analytical capacity at European level and to strengthen the linkages with policy making.

These concepts are further refined in the Commission Communication "EU Aid: delivering more, better and faster" which proposes a European initiative aiming at enhancing the European vision on development and its influence in the international development agenda. At the EADI General Conference in 2005, the European Commissioner Louis Michel committed himself to finding ways of strengthening the contribution of the EU development research community to EU development policy. Discussions since then have crystallized around the idea of European Development Report, annual research-led review of development issues and a European counterpart to other major flagship global reports.

Story by Can Akdeniz, EADI

Strategic planning as a knowledge strategy for the IDS Knowlege Services

Catherine Fisher from IDS explains how a strategic planning process of about 9 months, helps to get people from different teams talking and exchanging knowledge. It is hoped that this is a knowledge strategy that will have an influence on the culture in the organisation beyond this process. Watch the 8-minutes video to hear her explain it in her own words..

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