Presentation at Trans-Atlantic Platform Social Sciences and Humanities Workshop : A New Transatlantic Dialogue in Social Sciences and Humanities Workshop 2: From Research to Policy Making Brussels, The Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts, 27-28 September 2016

1. Aligning research funding to inform
policy – the case of CLACSO´s Social
Science and Humanities Network
Trans-Atlantic Platform Social Sciences and Humanities Workshop :
A New Transatlantic Dialogue in Social Sciences and Humanities
Workshop 2: From Research to Policy Making
Brussels, The Royal Flemish Academy of Sciences and Arts,
27-28 September 2016

2. Latin American Council of Social Sciences
(CLACSO)
• Non-governmental international organization with
UNESCO associate status
• 50 years (established in 1967)
• Brings together 589 social sciences and humanities
associated institutions in 45 countries
• 110 Working Groups with 3,430 researchers
from 57 countries
• + 700 master and Ph.D. programs in
193 institutions, which gather +8,000 students
from 38 countries enrolled in webinars and
participating in postgraduate workshops

4. CLACSO´s general strategy for aligning
research funding to inform policy
• Build bridges and promote discussion and exchange
between social researchers, policy related public
policies and social organizations.
• Communicate knowledge produced by Latin American
and Caribbean social scientists in public policy and
social organizations environments, seeking to
contribute to processes for consolidation of
democracy, human rights, sustainable development and
a culture of peace.

5. Strong links of CLACSO´s authorities and
participants with public policy-makers and
social organizations
• 5 former or present presidents / vicepresidents
of Latin America
• 27 former or present executive officers,
ministers and members of parliament
• 10 positions of highest responsibility in
social organizations

6. Strategy for aligning funding to inform policy
in CLACSO’s Areas and Programmes
1. Working Groups
2. Postgraduate workshops and webinars
3. South-South activities
4. Latin American School of Public Policies

7. 1. CLACSO´s 110 Research Working Groups
3,430 researchers (56 % women)
from 57 countries in 5 continents
Strategy for aligning funding to inform policy
• 1/3 of WG participants are members of
policy or social organizations.
• Evaluation of new WG values positively
incorporating participants from social
organizations, and building relations
with public policies.
• Each WG meeting has to organize
public activities inviting panelists and
participants from social organizations
and public policy officials.
• Dissemination of research results from
the WG: in open access collaborative
book but also policy-briefs, working
papers, public declarations, interviews
in CLACSO TV and social networks.
.

8. 2. CLACSO´s postgraduate workshops and webinars
Strategy for aligning training to inform policy
• Promotion of cooperation
strategies among 700
postgraduate programs and the
development of public policies.
• Quota for public policy officials
and for representatives of social
organizations in activities.
• Presence of politicians and
public officials in schools and
seminars, e.g. José Mugica,
former president of Uruguay,
gave the opening class of the
Diploma on Public Policies
for equality in Latin America
(400 participants).

9. 3. CLACSO´s South-South activities
Strategy for aligning funding to inform policy
• South-South International
Schools: priority for
academics participating in
policy/social organizations,
e.g. School on Inequality and
Social Justice (Durban)
• South-South comparative
research Workshops: requires
academics to develop policy
briefs after working together
& discussions, e.g. inequality
and climate change (Dakar)
8th South-South International School
“Inequality and Social Justice: perspectives
from the Global South” Durban 2015
Inter-regional activities for the exchange and discussion of
contemporary social issues of commons interest, with a critical
and comparative perspective.

10. 4. CLACSO´s Latin American School
of Public Policies
Training activities and
development of
institutional capacities for
the promotion of
democratic public policies

11. Other strategies to have visibility: opening
access to social sciences and humanities
| Open access to research
results and debates
+ 4 million monthly downloads
from CLACSO´s digital
repositories and catalog
+ 2,500 hours of interviews
and documentary films
www.clacso.tv
Promotion in social networks:
+ 30,000 followers
+ 170,000
+ 60,000 in CLACSO´s mailing
| Open access to its events
e.g. 35.000 participants at its
last triennial conference in
Medellín, Colombia, Nov. 2015

12. CLACSO´s budget: origin of funds
• Annual budget is approx. u$d 9.000.000
• 48 % members fees and “in kind” contributions
for collaborative activities.
• 52 % external funding (+ 70 funders since 1967,
main funders: SIDA, NORAD).

13. CLACSO´s Executive Authorities
Directive Committee: members from 16 countries
Contact Information
Estados Unidos 1168 C1101AAX Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Telephone numbers: (54-11) 4304-9505/9332 | clacso@clacso.edu.ar | www.clacso.org
Pablo Gentili
Executive Secretary
Fernanda Saforcada
Academic Director