Figure 1: Selected insights from the foresight framing/R4D landscape mapping exercise
Foresight framing: R4D in support of transformative development pathways Perspectives on transformative change in R4D Requirements Make visible and explore the politics of knowledge
Be reflexive – feedback loops for learning in practice
Persistent Challenges (illustrative)
Constrained capabilities, capacities, career paths and incentives
Tensions across temporal, geographic and organisational scales
Barriers to research prioritisation and uptake in policy
Exclusions and inequalities in research access,agency, resources, knowledge mobilisation
Transformative R4D ADDRESSING PERSISTENT CHALLENGES
Be creative and take risks
Challenge inequalities
NURTURING INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY Traditional modes of R4D research programming outmoded and lack diversity
Poor coherence and coordination for systemic change – incrementalism and siloed agencies
RESILIENT & RESPONSIVE
Political economy of investment choices – distortions away from local/national development priorities
Lack of focus on social innovation and of enabling conditions for transformative change
Challenge assumptions and established orthodoxy
Focus on directionality, diversity and system dynamics Surface and engage with critical tensions in R4D
Attributes of transformative R4D system
EQUITABLE
OPEN
CAPABLE
CONNECTED
Decolonising minds and practices
Mainstream and enable transdisciplinarity
Recognise and invest in transdisciplinarity careers
Establish architecture for funders to coordinate
Attention to source and nature of research demand, legitimacy and accountability concerning research framing, knowledge production and mobilization
Invest more in open data and methods – Access and ethics Digital revolution Interoperability LMIC journals Crowdsourcing
Grow capabilities for transformative research, social and institutional innovation
Establish ways of sharing insights from contextspecific learnings
Managing tensions around knowledge integration and actively seeking to build credibility and legitimacy of subaltern knowledges
Prioritise and address barriers to diverse knowledges and forms of innovation in programming
Support research fairness initiatives in opportunity process and outcome Assess progress towards equitable partnerships
Navigating tensions being open and ‘secure’
Address structural issues that create capability and capacity gaps – including research infrastructure Develop new funding options – flexible, diverse recipients Address brain drain challenges Strengthen the capabilities/capacity of non-researchers to use evidence
Encourage reporting and learning from failure Learn from and cultivate novel alliances and partnerships Nurture innovative knowledge brokering mechanisms Understanding demand and building demand for research
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