Evidence-based policy: myth or reality?
Dylan Winder
Central Research Department
DFID
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
DFID Overview
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3 White Papers since 1997
Development Act
Budget Increase to reach 0.7% GNI by 2013
Current Budget £4.5bn this year, £5.6 bn next
More than 40 Country Offices
International/Multilateral
Policy
Staffing
Aid Effectiveness
Communication
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
The DFID “policy” Environment
 Whitehall: science in Government
 DFID: our processes
 DFID PRD
 DFID Country Offices
 Reforming the international system
 Networks, relationships, opportunity, politics
and power
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
A Case Study: DFID Science and Research.
Pre-History
 Surr Report – outcomes not sectors
 Inherited old research (£75 million
committed to 2005)
 CRT formed April 2003 as part of PD
– think tank versus public good
 Needed decisions from SoS by
Christmas
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
Primeval Soup or big ideas?
 Web consultation – 600 +submissions
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(95% uk academics)
Technical meetings: Royal Society of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; DSA;
TAA
6 Background Papers
Donor consultation (IDRC,
Rockefeller)
HoPs and advisory groups
OSI
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
Divine intervention?
 Sir David King
 UK lobby groups
 Lack of evaluation of previous
programmes
 Publication of RFF
 Science Select Committee
 Implementation: models, Cap
building, Comms, M&E
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
Room for improvement
 Principles were right
 Developing country
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consultation
Mapping against existing
strategy (international,
regional and national)
DFID-wide ownership and
consultation – delivering WP
and S&I strategy
Evaluation of past/current?
Positive feedback/ownership
from UK
Big ideas
Donor co-ordination
Sir Gordon
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
How we do it in CRD (is our evidence used?)
Modalities
 Commission bilateral research (Research Programme Consortia, etc.)
 Contribute to Multilaterals (core and extra budgetary)
 Product Development Partnerships (PPPs)
 Regional Programmes
 Collaborative programmes managed by partners (UK Research
Councils)
 Joint-donor and multi-donor (IDRC, PERI, etc.)
Process
 Communication of research
 International Influencing/co-ordination (including cross-Whitehall)
 Capacity building of Southern research institutes, researchers, and
communication environment
 Monitoring, evaluation and learning
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
Partnerships and Influencing
Providing leadership and credibility
through quality and volume with
effective, efficient and impacting
programmes
Leveraging and influencing
 Multilaterals
 Whitehall
 Research Councils UK
 Private sector
 Foundations
Empowering
 Developing country research
institutions
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
Suatainable Agriculture
 4 key components
 Funding through multilateral routes
(CGIAR, IARCs, Challenge
Programmes etc)
 Regional research programmes
 Facility to take forward RNRRS
achievements
 Responsive programme with UK-based
Research Councils – linked to more
applied research in Southern-based
institutions
Mile a minute
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
Getting research used (as evidence)
Make
research
relevant &
accessible
Strengthen
the context to
use research
 communication strategies in
research programmes
 collaboration with international
organisations
 minimum 10% budget for
communication
 advocacy with other
international/regional research
organisations
 Guidance Notes and Advisory
support
 Research4Development
 Learning
Capacity development
Communications projects
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA
Future
 Responding to the White Paper 3
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priorities
Science and Innovation Strategy
Building a revised funding
framework that doubles CRD
spend
Getting a 20 year vision
Working in a more joined up
way
Building capacity
Better use of research in policy
decisions: The reality…..
1 Palace Street, London SW1E 5HE
Abercrombie House, Eaglesham Road, East Kilbride, Glasgow G75 8EA