F&BKP collaboration with GCP & ARF research projects

Knowledge sharing and research uptake

Plans for knowledge sharing and research uptake are an integral part of the ARF and GCP research projects. The projects are committed to the interrelated aims of research and local impact by capacity development, knowledge sharing and influencing an enabling environment. Active involvement of different partners throughout the research implementation process by the FBR research teams is essential, as well as communication activities with broader relevant stakeholder groups.

The prime responsibility for enhancing impact as defined in the research proposals lies with the research project consortium partners and stakeholders, including the progress and results detailed in the interim reports. In addition, the F&BKP Office can support the research projects in strengthening linkages and the teams’ interactions with wider stakeholders (e.g. linkages with thematic networks, influencing the enabling business and policy environment and out-scaling and up-scaling of results). This aims at realizing structural involvement of target groups and the back flow of research results into society, particularly into policy and practice. Furthermore, the NWO-WOTRO support focuses more so on the direct results of the research project, and with that for example Monitoring & Evaluation.

Collaboration with the F&BKP in the area of knowledge sharing, uptake and impact can improve the FBR projects and their embedded in and useful for surrounding societies. This can be effectuated by dissemination of intermediary and final results of the research via the Platform, and by the Platform facilitating knowledge exchange and learning with close and wider groups of stakeholders. Consequently, the relevance and impact of the research results can be improved upon. The work of the range of stakeholders related to the projects and the F&BKP will be facilitated and enriched and knowledge generated through the projects could strengthen the F&BKP Knowledge Agenda.

F&BKP support on research impact components

The F&BKP Office and NWO-WOTRO have developed a framework for knowledge sharing and research uptake. This framework supports research projects in strengthening their actions to enhance their impact, by providing guidance on the following four components (adopted from “Research Uptake. A guide for DFID-funded research programmes” of 2016): Stakeholder Engagement, Capacity Building, Communication, and Monitoring and Evaluation. Whereas NWO-WOTRO focusses on Supporting project proposal set-up provide guidance to researchers in developing strategies for formulating & monitoring of ARF and GCP research uptake in an Impact pathway (see NWO-WOTRO Impact toolkit) and on Monitoring progress and providing feedback via annual and final reports, the F&BKP supports ongoing research projects by Providing a platform for dialogue and interaction among researchers and with the wider Food & Business community and Aggregating and amplifying research results. Related to the above mentioned research Uptake components, the F&BKP Office support will in particular focus on the following:

• Communication: Publishing the research projects, progress, intermediate results and results, along with events on the F&BKP website and in newsletters. All research projects are invited to continuously send all items, articles and documents relevant for a larger public to the F&BKP Office. Those additions will be published on the F&BKP website under the specific research projects’ subpage set up for every individual project. Please see the GCP project pages and the ARF project pages.
• Stakeholder engagement: Link research teams thematically with other networks (in particular beyond the projects and calls), research programmes and conferences where there is potential added value for either side.
• Capacity development: Facilitating research projects on joint topics related to impact such as stakeholder mapping, capacity development and influencing policy and practices.

For example, meetings or trainings can be organized for researchers and stakeholders from interested project teams on capacity to engage with private sector, on how to insert knowledge in curricula of local schools and universities, or on influencing policy in order to strengthen the enabling environment.

• Supporting individual research projects at incidental base upon request with concrete advice on various impact activities such as on contacts, suggestions, or advice.

In addition to the research project proposed plans, research projects could develop ideas for additional relevant research uptake activities to be conducted with the F&BKP Office. The projects can for example include capacity building activities in a wider, perhaps international, context than those targeted within the research proposals.

Additional relevant information on Research Uptake and related strategies can be found here at the NWO-WOTRO website.

Research Uptake Manuals

Various guidelines have been developed by different parties to facilitate research uptake and impact activities. Such tools can be guiding for researchers and practitioners participating in the Food & Business Research programmes. They can help you to systematically define objectives of stakeholder mapping, capacity building and communication. Also they can identify, elaborate, plan, act and adapt appropriate stakeholder engagement approaches that are project, actor and outcome specific and include effective mechanisms for interaction, building relationships, as well as approaches for efficient documenting and monitoring outcomes to that contribute to mutual learning and uptake of feedback. Yet, it is important to first start with understanding the whole process of your project research uptake and from there select suitable tools to contribute to your targets. The living document below includes some of the toolkits you might consider using for all this. The table will be complemented along the way, so please if you have any additional suggestions to add to the toolbox, send us an email.