3 April 2014 | New Delhi
What constitutes an enabling research environment and how can developing countries, in particular, foster one? Thirty-five international experts from a range of backgrounds including university management, research capacity building, and science and technology attended a workshop organized by GDN to launch the pilot of GDN's Doing Research program.
Participants discussed the various objectives of the program and its enquiry into assessing the research environments of developing countries, touching on these main questions and topics:
- What are the main pillars of a research environment and what are appropriate research questions to study the research environment?
- What are the incentives for doing social science research at the individual, organizational and national levels?
- Funding and demand for research
- Methodologies to study the research environment comparatively across countries
- Interesting case studies to consider – Ghana, Indonesia, China, Senegal
Participants agreed that the methods in place to assess research productivity and quality are in need of critical re-examination.
Jo Hoffman, Executive Director at the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research, lead discussions around the creation and use of research. Ian Carter from Sussex University posed critical questions to be examined through case studies in the program pilot, around how to stimulate research without undermining the autonomy and independence of researchers.
Participants
- Allam Ahmed Senior Lecturer- Science and Technology Policy Research (SPRU), University of Sussex
- Ben Hillman Senior Advisor, Knowledge Sector Initiative, Indonesia
- David Roodman Independent Consultant
- Deepa Narayan Independent International Poverty, Gender and Development Advisor
- Denis Besnainou Expert, Sector for Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO
- Dhruv Raina Professor, Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Emmanuella Delva Higher Education Science and Technology Advisor, US Agency for International Development/Indonesia
- Endang Dewayanti Program Manager for the Knowledge Sector Initiative, Indonesia
- Geraldine Richmond President Elect, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS);Professor of Chemistry, University of Oregon
- Guillermo A. Lemarchand Science Policy Consultant, Division of Science Policy and Capacity Building, UNESCO
- Ian Carter Director of Research and Enterprise, University of Sussex
- Ian Thornton Deputy Director, UKCDS – Making science work for development
- Indraneel Ghose Senior Thematic Advisor for Education, Research and Innovation Jenny Lah Program Officer, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Joseph Hoffman Interim Executive Director, Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR)
- Jyotsna Puri Deputy Executive Director and Head of Evaluation, 3ie
- Kiru Naidoo Academic Programmes Manager, SANTRUST, South Africa
- Kobena Hanson Head, Knowledge and Learning, The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
- ani Nepal Research Program Manager, SANDEE
- Maureen Ane Rosellon Supervising Research Specialist, Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS)
- Nidhi S. Sabharwal Research Fellow, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies (IIDS)
- Nupur Barua Head, South Asia Research Hub, Department for International Development (DFID)
- Parthasarathi Banerjee Director, National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies (NISTADS)
- R.S. Deshpande National Fellow, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), ISEC, Bangalore
- Rachel Parker Program Manager at USAID; Adjunct Professor at George Washington University;
- Rajeev Ahuja Senior Program Officer, , Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Reena Marwah Senior Academic Consultant, Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR)
- Saumen Chattopadhyay Associate Professor, Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Sheila Desai Senior Science and Technology Advisor, USAID
- Sue Corbett Executive Director, International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP)