For: ICA Mentoring Pre-Conference, Global and Social Change Division Susan Abbott, Director, Cross-Pollinate Consulting Solutions Contact: or

 Have a Plan.  Know why you need money, and what you want to do.  How much does it cost? What is your research budget?  IRB Approval – is it necessary? Ask before you begin.  What are your university’s budgetary requirements/ overhead costs?  Put together a concept paper  Literature Review

 Map out who your potential audience is for your research.  Is it relevant to NGOs, donors, governments, other academics? Who are the stakeholders?  Where does your research fit in to existing donor priorities, international projects?  Does it have an international development side to it? Is it pertinent to policy debates?

Academic Community  Peer reviewed  Journal Articles, edited books  Tenure track research  Teaching Oriented  Methodology has a strong focus – subject to higher rigor “Practitioner” Community  Monitoring & Evaluation  Research papers – white papers, case studies, occasional papers, thought pieces  Media and Communication Landscape assessments – formative research  Research Methods Help  Policy papers – media law and policy, internet policy, analysis, case studies, mapping exercises

 Partner with NGOs, donors, government agencies – be their research staff/ consultant  Initiative partnerships by inviting practitioners to your workshops, conferences, events, etc. Build relationships with the practitioner community  Intern, volunteer, provide research assistance to non-profits, NGOs, donors – reach out to potential practitioner partners, offer them your expertise and time (Freedom House, IREX, Internews, SFCG, C4D Network,GFMD)  Blog for a practitioner – evidence-based, thoughtful posts are very important and useful to practitioner. (CommGap, Communications Initiative, CIMA, GFMD)

 Mapping Digital Media – Open Society Foundation  Global Internet Policy Project (GIPP, Internews) – DRL/ US State Department  Central European University, Budapest Summer School  Annenberg/PCMLP, University of Oxford Summer School  Global Forum for Media Development (based in Brussels)  Communications for Development Network (based in London, with nodes all over the world)

 Have a CV, references, and writing samples ready to go.  Maintain a blog, keep it current  Maintain an active presence on social media  Attend events, conferences, workshops outside of academia – get to know donors, practitioners, and people who fund research projects  Sign up for useful listservs, social media feeds – stay current/abreast on what funding is available

 Need a good concept paper  Budget  Use your university development office  Great opportunity to find a mentor  Use social media  Sign up for listservs  Partner with NGOs, donors, etc.

 Craig Zelizer’s List  ICT4D – Wayan Vota  C4D – Jackie Davies  Communications Initiative – Warren Feek  United States Institute of Peace, World Learning, Institute of International Education, Fulbright/ other funded fellowship opportunities  Grants.gov  USAID, State Department, NSF, others  Foundation Center  LinkedIn – join relevant groups – research consultancies often posted  Compile list of key institutions and people relevant to your research interests – reach out directly to them