This document discusses research uptake strategies presented by Farah Ahmed at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It defines research uptake as the effective use of research evidence by decision-makers to improve policy and development outcomes. An effective uptake strategy involves stakeholder engagement, capacity building, communications, and monitoring and evaluation. It should have clear objectives, identify target audiences, and determine how to communicate research findings. The document provides examples of uptake approaches like partnerships, stakeholder mapping, and developing communication products tailored to specific audiences. It also discusses barriers to uptake like institutional policies and leadership, and questions to consider around stakeholder engagement, capacity building, communications planning, and monitoring impact.

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Farah Ahmed
Date- 26th January, 2016
Location- Ho Chin Minh City,
Vietnam
Urbanizing Deltas of the World:
Research uptake

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I Background
This presentation intends help researchers understand uptake and uptake strategies to
implement it in their respective research programmes and in developing an output/outcomes
based approach
• Definition of research Uptake –“The effective utilization of research-based evidence by
decision makers to improve development practice and policy, and donor investments,
thereby leading to positive development outcomes.” In short making your research
accessible.
• ‘Uptake’ is what a decision-maker or other key stakeholder is doing when they modify
their attitude, develop knowledge or skills through the research process and based on
the outputs of research.
For the purpose of uptake strategy -
• Research uptake strategies should encompass stakeholder engagement, capacity
building, communication and monitoring and evaluation

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The key elements of an uptake strategy
• Planning a strategy
• Publishing research
results
• Re-packaging it and
targeting the right
audience
Communications
• Mapping the relevant key
stakeholders
• Plan a stakeholder
engagement strategy
• Facilitate evidence
informed discussions and
dialogues
Stakeholder
Engagement
•Organizational
development
•Trainings and
workshops
•Strengthen internal
and external
communications
Capacity building
• Short –term and Long
term Impacts
• SMART (Specific,
Measureable,
Attributable, Realistic,
Time-bound)
• Outputs, outcomes and
Impacts
Monitoring and
Evaluation
What do you want to accomplish?
(Objective)
Whom to communicate (audience)
What to communicate and how? (content)
What do we know already?(baseline)

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Why is there a need for Uptake?
It is important to improve the demand for research evidence as much as it appears generally to improve
supply, particularly in the policy sphere
Improving peoples lives
Research needs to move
beyond publications
/books and move to
impacts
Improving our ability to
assess the impact of
research
Balancing the supply and
demand for research
Acts as a
knowledge intermediaries

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Objectives of an uptake strategy
Create platforms that
bring together and
synthesize project-level
research
Serve as a guide for
prioritizing activities
and navigating towards
objectives
Clarifies resource and
other requirements
Create mechanisms for internal
reflection and external
consultation to refine uptake
approaches
Leverage opportunities for cross
country/regional knowledge
synthesis
Support research
projects to identify key
partners and
stakeholders
Creates impacts to
research outcomes

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Entry points for Uptake

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Approaches for uptake
• Creating partnerships for larger
outreach
 Engaging with media
 Develop ICT projects for engaging
with stakeholders and
• Conducting a stakeholder mapping
 Facilitating dialogues with
stakeholders
 Organizing round table discussions
and meetings
 Organizing workshops to build
awareness among stakeholders
• Develop a communications strategy
for stakeholder engagement
 Developing communication products
for specific stakeholders (policy
briefs and brochures etc)
 Videos and films
 Website development
• Develop a ‘theory of change’ for your
project to ensure and measure
change
• Develop an impact pathways

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Some examples of a wish list of uptake activities/approaches
Policy
dialogues
Engagement strategy
Action
research
projects
Round
table
discussions
Impacts and
outcomes
National and
regional
strategies
Open
plenary
sessions
Communication plan
Stakeholder
mapping

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Guidelines to Develop an Uptake Strategy
Uptake strategies for the stages during the project lifetime
• For each critical uptake point (arrow):
1) Define uptake objective/action
e.g. Investments are made in water storage in Ethiopia and Ghana
2) Define who will make this decision/take this action. (stakeholder analysis)
Be as specific as possible, even down to giving individuals’ names if possible.
E.g. Development agencies including:
- ADB (target people …)
- World Bank (target people …)
3) Understand the rationale for action. Ask the following action questions:
a) Do they have the awareness of the problem/opportunity?
b) Do they understand the benefits/ramifications?
c) Do they have the capacity (skills and knowledge) to act?
d) Do they have the necessary resources (information and capital)?
e) Do they have the incentives to act?
f) Is the action required culturally/socially acceptable?
g) Is there anything else needed for them to act or that will stop them from
acting?
4) Develop an uptake strategy:
a) Determine what needs to be provided or influenced.
b) Select ways to achieve this (See attached checklist for ideas):
- Channels: What people and organizations can be involved? What
existing events or activities can be capitalized on?
- Products, tools and activities used or created
- Access to these ensured
- Promotion of these carried out.
Uptake strategies for post project time line stages:
1) Define the outcome or impact
e.g. Improved Livelihoods
2) Define who the direct recipient is
e.g. the rural poor farmers in Ethiopia and Ghana
3) Understand what will cause/ensure this to happen.
Ask what else has to happen or what are the assumptions for the
previous outcome to lead to this outcome /impact?
E.g. what else has to happen for the increased resilience in
climate change to lead to improved livelihoods – more crops are
planted, higher yields are produced, there is a market for the
extra produce, the farmer has access to this market, etc?
4) Develop an uptake strategy as appropriate.
a) What might be the largest barriers to uptake and impact?
b) Who can best assist with this?
c) What involvement, influence, capacity, knowledge or
information can the project leave behind?
Consolidate these strategies
Set up an implementation plan: what, who, when and costs

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Exploring the barriers to research uptake
The following critical issues were identified as barriers to uptake:
– Institutional barriers – some institutions have policies that do not support uptake, if successful uptake
is needed, those policies need to be addressed and changed
– Leadership- leadership needs to be the driving force behind uptake, in most cases where uptake fails it
because leadership is not supportive
– Skill sets - Uptake requires certain set of skills, appropriate capacity building is needed to ensure that
uptake coordinators are well equipped to deliver.
– Sometimes funders/donors decides the direction of the uptake- and sometimes that is not the right approach
and it becomes a barrier in how coordinators would like to deliver uptake
– Poor linkage – no structures linking researchers and partners
– Sometimes researchers have some sceptism in engaging in uptake activities.

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Questions to be addressed
Stakeholder engagement
1. Define the research uptake objective?
2. Identify relevant/key stakeholders that will benefit from the research?
3. Is there a stakeholder engagement plan?
4. Are there plans for on-going engagement with stakeholders throughout the programme?
5. Are there plans to facilitate evidence-informed discussions?
Capacity building
1. Do we have the skill sets internally to help support a communications plan?
2. Do we have the skills sets in our team to repackage and share our research findings externally?
3. Do we need to strengthen capacities internally and externally with appropriate trainings?
4. Does the programme team have the capacity to implement their capacity building strategy?
Communications plan
1. Do we have a communication plan inbuilt for sharing our research findings in phases?
2. Is there a plan to re-package and communicate findings to non-specialist audiences? Identified tools?
3. Do we have the skill sets within our team to help support communications and outreach?
Monitoring and Evaluation
1. Is research uptake appropriately reflected in the logframe?
2. Is there a strategy for gathering and recording data on research uptake?
3. Is there an appropriate evaluation strategy inbuilt in your research programme?
4. Is sufficient resource allocated to monitoring and evaluation?
5. Is there a strategy for sharing learning on research uptake?

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• These were some interesting examples shared during the forum of innovative ways of uptake. The link -
http://www.resupmeetup.net/resources/ lists some of the programs, tools and approaches discussed such as DRUSSA, ODI’s
RAPID programme and 3ie’s policy impact toolkit. In addition to the listed resources, listing down a few more interesting
approaches
• DFID’s Uptake strategy guide -
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/200088/Research_uptake_guidance.pdf
• Digital Storytelling – Banyan tree project (HIV aids)
• Stakeholder Analysis as a research uptake tool – case of PRIME
• ODI’s ‘Stories of Change’ tool which uses cable of evidence –
– http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/download/153.pdf>> See the tool called ‘Stories’
– http://www.odi.org/publications/5235-storytelling-steve-denning
– http://www.odi.org/publications/5267-storytelling-story
How to monitor success and M&E tools?
A question raised time and again. No one way of accurately monitoring success and influence could be arrived upon.
However, various strategies and feedback mechanisms were discussed such as focus group testing, periodic surveys, impact
analysis and tools of M&E of research communications
Other resources-
• http://resyst.lshtm.ac.uk/news-and-blogs/ethics-resupmeetup-six-things-people-are-talking-about
• http://www.resupmeetup.net/research-communicators-lets-talk-politics-shall-we/
• http://www.researchtoaction.org/howto/uptake-strategy/
• http://www.researchtoaction.org/howto/policy-briefs-2/
• http://www.researchtoaction.org/category/making-your-research-accessible/using-digital-tools/
Uptake- how others are doing it?

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Thank you!
Farah Ahmed
Coordinator for research into impacts- Asia
(International Water Management Institute, IWMI)

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Tools used for communication
Farah Ahmed

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Technical innovations, media and communications in research uptake
• The following Communication methods can be used depending on your audience:
 Infographics & Data visualization- explaining your information in a visual format
 Short films –short, impactful pieces to highlight issues, solutions, Participatory video
 Social media- engage stakeholders at different levels
 Blogging – A platform for debate, though it is essential that one uses credible blogs
 Mainstream media to engage policy makers and stakeholders.
• Key learnings and takeaways:
– New technology can go a long way in terms delivering uptake activities
– In most cases using new innovative technology is cheaper and more effective
– Lack of technology could hinder uptake activities
– Understand your networks – which individuals or groups that have more influential powers
– Some social media activities are strategized while others are on adhoc basis.

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Stories/Messages

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Publications/Policy briefs/Press releases/Blogs/ infographics