In Maputo on 30 November, ILAC, the Research Into Use Programme (RIU), and RMIT University organized a meeting on impact evaluation for institutional learning and change. The focus was on impact evaluation approaches for collaborative R&D in a ‘new’ CGIAR, developing activities in this area.

The starting point was that scientists cannot afford to work alone with their own knowledge, they need to effectively connect and partner with ‘end-users’ of all kinds.

Sheelagh O’Reilly, Senior Operations Manager at RIU, presented a typology of forms of collaboration, including ‘conventional’ research – where scientists ‘decide’ without organized participation by end users; ‘consultative’ research, in which scientists decide, but with organized communication with end users; ‘collaborative’ research where decision making is shared between end users and scientists; through to ‘end user experimentation’ in which the farmers decide without organized involvement of scientists.

She also summarized arguments in favour of engaging the end users (farmers, policy-makers, etc): This increases researchers’ understanding of local issues; it increases uptake and appropriate adaptation of research outputs; it incorporates local knowledge; it facilitates ‘co-production of knowledge; and it develops end-user capacities to build and use knowledge.

She particularly elaborated on the challenges in knowledge adaptation, noting that researchers are sometimes reluctant to ‘let go’ of their outputs for others to adapt and re-use.

Sheelagh on the challenges of letting go:

Patricia Rogers, Professor in Public Sector Evaluation at RMIT University introduced an approach from health research called ‘translational research’ and elaborated on its potential for agriculture. This approach can be seen as a way to bridge the “valley of death” between scientists and consumers/users – helping get research into use. It can also be seen as more of a cycle in which scientists and users interact with one another and where there is learning all along the cycle.

Patricia explains what translational research is:

By Peter Ballantyne

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