Contending Coalitions of Research and Innovation Practice: Traps to avoid in renewing the effectiveness of research and innovation for development impact AGRICULTURE FLAGSHIP Andy Hall 25 February 2014
Key messages There are contending coalitions of agricultural research and innovation practice each with different points of view. Contestation is healthy. Its needed to continuously revisit and renegotiating how research and innovation are used for impact. However there are traps that can conserve poorly performing practices and these should be avoided. Way forward: A continuous questioning of the value of practice (old and new) in relation to the development impacts that are desired. Presentation title | Presenter name 2 |
Why is this important? Context: CORAF/WECARD and its regional and international partners give center stage to the transformation of research practice in the region to deliver increased productivity. Conundrum: New practices are known globally. Ineffective practices tend to get conserved and are resistant to change. Presentation title | Presenter name 3 |
Two views on innovation and impact A research-led process where technology adoption takes place through training, technology extension or technology commercialisation. An integrated process of technical, institutional and policy adaptation and learning, driven my market opportunities with a supporting role for research. Neither universally true. Presentation title | Presenter name 4 |
Common tensions Research-driven or opportunity-driven Research for development or research in development. Maintaining research and science capacity in innovation investments. Quick impact or long term innovation capacity building. Finding a balance between biophysical science and social and economic science. Excellence in science; excellence in development. Presentation title | Presenter name 5 |
Technology centric narratives of innovation Presentation title | Presenter name 6 |
Success stories and myth making Presentation title | Presenter name 7 |
The hidden hand of old M&E Presentation title | Presenter name 8 |
The tyranny of tools Presentation title | Presenter name 9 |
“Perfected yet rejected” communities of practice Presentation title | Presenter name 10 |
Sloganeering, branding and false dichotomies Presentation title | Presenter name 11 |
Ways forward Presentation title | Presenter name 12 | Dogmatic to pragmatic. Prioritize achieving impact over strict adherence to any one new tool and practice. Whatever works is good enough, irrespective of whether it is new, old, fashionable or unfashionable. Question the utility of all practices. No tools, approaches or practices are sacrosanct. If they are not delivering the results you need, adapt them or try something else. Don’t ignore the past. All ideas and lessons and practices don’t need to be new, just effective. Never miss an opportunity to learn. New ideas about how research and innovation practice can lead to impact can emerge in unexpected places beyond the world of projects. Elevate learning to a science. The greatest scientific question in agriculture today is the question of how to practice agricultural research and innovation in ways that lead to development impact. A continuous and rigorous curiosity about how to upgrade agricultural research and innovation practice is the only hope we all have of addressing the challenges of the resource constrained world we face in the years to come.
Andy Hall Innovation Practice and Policy Analyst Agriculture Flagship t wwww.csiro.au Thank you