AusAID Development Research Strategy

AusAID's first development research strategy (AusAID Development Research Strategy 2008–2010) outlined four key objectives for AusAID's research investment:

to develop partner country capacity to solve local problems
to build a stronger evidence base for policy and programs
to create incentives for innovative ideas and strategies to address existing and emerging development challenges, and
to deepen the pool of academic expertise about and within countries in the Asia Pacific region.

To deliver these objectives the strategy pledged more research funding, new quality assurance processes, a greater focus on both communication of research and capacity building to conduct and use research and finally, better leveraging of links with other donors and Australian government partners in our research investment.

The achievements of the first strategy included:

increasing our research funding from $59 million in 2007/08 to $107 million in 2010/11
establishing the Australian Development Research Awards. The Awards have distributed $26.8 million in research funding to over 80 primary research projects and 18 systematic reviews over four annual calls in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
instituting new requirements for communication and engagement activities that promote research influence
supporting research capacity development including through the Global Development Network [external website] and the Poverty and Economic Policy Research Network [external website]
establishing the AusAID Research Steering Committee
forging strong collaborative relationships with other development research funders
strengthening our engagement with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

Over the period of the strategy, AusAID-funded research has led to lasting impacts, for example:

informing education funding formulas in the Philippines and Vanuatu
motivating new policies addressing violence against women in the Pacific
changing banking guidance in Indonesia to address illegal deforestation and enhanced food security in South Asia.

We are currently developing the AusAID Research Strategy 2011-2015. The strategy will build on past achievements while pursuing remaining challenges. It will prioritise investment in critical and under-researched development issues and direct efforts to communicate research, support local research capacity, and evaluate research impact.

The development of the new strategy has been informed by a wide consultation process with Australian universities, whole-of-government partners, non-government organisations, think tanks, developing country research partners and other donors.

Last reviewed: 25 October, 2011