Overview

Conducting successful, high-impact research requires a range of skills, including deep knowledge of the norms, laws, institutions, policy conditions, and other contextual factors specific to each area where we work. Until 2021, only 27 percent of our network of researchers came from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where we work. Since then, IPA has accelerated our efforts to enrich the expertise of our network of researchers by diversifying the sources of talent we draw upon. This includes collaborating with researchers in the countries where we operate to refine research questions, design rigorous study protocols, and analyze data. This will increase our ability to ensure that the evidence-generation process benefits the intended population. To achieve this, we are committed to reducing the barriers to research participation particularly for early-career and LMIC-based researchers. Our strategy is focused on four key objectives: 

1. Expand our research network and broader development research networks to work alongside more researchers in LMICs, ensuring their contributions are well-represented
2. Enhance access to funding for researchers based in LMICs
3. Strengthen researcher development in LMICs through increasing internships, scholarships, mentorship, and partnerships with universities and research institutions
4.  Support researchers based in LMICs with research communications and policy engagement 

To further these objectives, we formed the Research Collaboration Initiative Advisory Board in 2021. This Advisory Board, chaired by the Executive Director of IPA,  provides strategic advice and guidance on expanding IPA’s research network and strengthening partnerships with researchers and institutions in the countries where we operate. The activities under the strategy are currently being implemented across IPA country offices in Africa and will expand to additional countries where IPA has offices. This advisory board is chaired by the Executive Director of IPA.

Achievements to Date

In three years of implementation, we have achieved several milestones that are significant for building the groundwork for diversifying our research network. Some of these are highlighted below:

• Strategic Initiatives
  - Constituted an advisory board of leading LMIC researchers to guide the strategy and are currently working on adding additional members for depth
   
• Partnership & Collaborations
  - Established various partnerships with universities and research institutions across Africa. Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) outline areas of collaboration, including the co-creation of research evidence, mutual capacity building, promoting the uptake of evidence among policymakers, and structuring internship opportunities.
   
• Capacity Building, Matchmaking and Project Development Support
  - Provided proposal development support to LMIC-based researchers to develop and submit proposals for new research projects
   - Conducted direct training sessions on impact evaluation and proposal development for LMIC-based researchers from government and private institutions
  - Created opportunities for collaboration between researchers based in LMICs
   
• Access to Funding
  - Increased the availability of small grants by soliciting proposals under the research collaboration initiative exploratory small grant fund opportunity
   
• Pipeline Development
  - Established an internship program for capacity building and skills transfer designed for Master’s and PhD students in Burkina Faso. Through the experience and knowledge gained through this program, an intern from IPA Burkina Faso successfully won an exploratory grant funding to work on his thesis that explores the impact of the economic exploitation of non-timber forest products (NTFP) on poverty and income inequalities in Burkina Faso.