This power point presentation seeks to present the case for GDNet’s emphasis on connecting the South with global debates on sustainable development, to explore some of the challenges experienced by researchers in developing countries and to outline the work that GDNet is doing to try to meet them.

1. Research in Development
What does it take to make a difference?ff
Sherine Ghoneim, Director GDN Cairo
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2. The reality for thousands of junior researchers in developing countries
“Being located in a university which
does not have much infrastructural
support as far as research is
concerned, budding researchers like
me would be de motivated to bringme would be de‐motivated to bring
out serious studies due to lack of
access to other studies taking placeaccess to other studies taking place
all over the world. GDNet has come
as a new lease of life to me.”
Source: GDNet 2010 Survey
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3. Research Communications from and for the Global South
….supports southern researchers
to contribute and debate ideas
in development thinking policy
and practice by:
helping researchers’ research findings travel furtherhelping researchers research findings travel further
building researchers’ confidence and ability to
i h i k l dcommunicate their knowledge
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4. Managed by the GDN Cairo Team
An international organization dedicated to helping social scientists
The Global Development Network (GDN)
An international organization dedicated to helping social scientists
from across the South generate new knowledge on development.
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GDNet is funded by:
A collaborative program…A collaborative program…
GDNet works with 20+ partners
i l di f R i lincluding a group of Regional
Network Partners
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5. What do we mean by “the South”?
Vast majority of countries with a
Very High HDI score (considered as
being “the North”) are located in
Indicates countries
classified as the
“South”
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being the North ) are located in
the northern hemisphere.

6. The urgent need for greater global research cooperation
• The Global Society has evolved more rapidly in the last decade than• The Global Society has evolved more rapidly in the last decade than
in the past 50 years.
• Financial crises, revolutions and riots, climate change, new
diseases…all creating new challenges.
• Local and regional problems have become global problems.
We need knowledge and experience from the South to play a more
prominent role in responses to these global challenges, at every level.
“We cannot create a world where our actions
have no impact on others, and what happens to
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have no impact on others, and what happens to
others has no impact on us.” President Clinton.

7. Times have changed since GDNet was founded (The Economist: 2001 to 2011)
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8. How GDNet has evolved from 2001 to 2011: online activities
Created online portal of research from the South
Regional Coordinators to encourage researchers to participate
Thematic approach introduced
Piloting web 2.0 tools and plans for micrositesot g eb .0 too s a d p a s o c os tes
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9. How GDNet has evolved from 2001 to 2011: capacity building
Knowledge management in research institutes
Sharing lessons learned through conferences
Helping individual researchers communicate to policy
Developing information literacy training for researcherse e op g o at o te acy t a g o esea c e s
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10. GDNet’s Theory of Change: the beliefs underpinning the program
Example of an assumption
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11. Key elements of the GDNet logframe
Goal: Better policy informed by better research
Purpose: Diverse research and policy audiences make better use ofPurpose: Diverse research and policy audiences make better use of
development research from the global south
O t tOutputs
• Southern research better informed by current ideas and
knowledge
• Researchers better able to communicate their research to policy
• Knowledge networking between researchers and with policy
actors increased
• Lessons about knowledge brokering best practice in the global
south learnt and communicated
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12. Three clusters of activities
C ti
Brokering
information
Creating
spaces for
engagement
from and for
southern
researchers
g g
between
researchers
and withresearchers and with
policy makers
Building
southernsouthern
capacity in
communicatin
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g research to
policy

13. GDNet identified some key challenges facing southern researchers
1 Accessing development research and data1. Accessing development research and data
2. Securing research funding
3. Communicating research findings to peers and
policy audiences p y
4. Perceptions of, and demand for, southern research
13How is GDNet responding to these challenges?

14. Challenge 1: Accessing development research and data
Reliable access to online GDNet provides:
journals too expensive for
many
GDNet provides:
Free access to online journals &
data
Latest peer‐reviewed
research important for
Document delivery by post or email
C i b ildi i i f iresearch proposals and
submissions to journals
Capacity building in information
literacy
“GDNet’s free access to academic
journals can change the nature of
Poor internet access
restricts use of e‐journals
j g f
research in developing countries
which are beleaguered with poor
resources” Researcher South Africa
Information literacy may be
a barrier
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resources Researcher, South Africa
Source: GDNet 2010 Survey

15. Challenge 2: Securing research funding
Funding environment is
very competitive
GDNet provides:
Funding Opportunities Newsletter
Some researchers have
better access to funding
h h
Toolkit on proposal writing and
research fundraising
news than others
Capacity to write proposals
“In very poor countries like
Ethiopia where it is impossible to
is sometimes an issue
Ethiopia where it is impossible to
finance your higher education,
getting funding for research is
very hard ”
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very hard.
Source: GDNet 2010 Survey

16. Challenge 3: Communicating research findings to peers and policy audiences
Northern research institutes GDNet provides:Northern research institutes
tend to have more capacity
and resources for
GDNet provides:
Tailored research communications
training and ongoing support
communications
Northern researchers more
An online platform to highlight southern
researchers and their work
visible in international
publications and at
f
Opportunities to engage with
researchers and policy makers
“GDNet has helped me to
conferences on
development
disseminate my findings to people
I didn’t know, who in turn, have
helped my research by providing
How can southern research
be heard?
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p y y p g
feedback on it. “ Professor, Delhi

17. Challenge 4: Perceptions of, and demand for, southern research
“To most editors in the West
Not enough support for
southern research among
To most editors in the West,
Harvard seems a sounder bet
than Hyderabad” (Arunachalam,
)
“One of the major challenges…is
g
international publishers
Partly due to lack of access
1999)
to translate research into
academic publications …[and]
meet standards dictated by
y
to latest peer‐reviewed
journals
northern pedagogical and
academic practices “
GDNet researching attitudes
to and use of southern
Source: GDNet 2010 Surveyresearch in North and South
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Development research and policy communities need to “Connect South”

18. What does it mean to Connect South?
For GDNet:
• promote and strengthen the southern voice:
amplification and advocacyamplification and advocacy
• foster southern ownership of the program:
opportunities for southern researchers to inform and
contribute to GDNet’s work
• empower southern researchers: continuing with
capacity building and developing new platform to
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p y g p g p
support research collaboration

19. What does it mean to Connect South?
For southern researchers:
• Search for and use reliable research and data: remain
d d h bcommitted despite the barriers to access
• Submit research to intermediaries that reach those• Submit research to intermediaries that reach those
working globally in development research and policy:
e.g. maintain a profile on GDNet and build relationships g p p
with the media
P i i i li d ffli k d• Participate in online and offline events, networks and
discussions: may require them to learn to use new tools
or communicate about their work to non‐specialist
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or communicate about their work to non‐specialist
audiences

20. Connect South: collaboration and cooperation with individuals and
organisations worldwide are key to success
• Donors to fund more capacity
building for southern researchers; g ;
“research is most likely to be
appropriate when it has been
developed by researchers in the hostdeveloped by researchers in the host
country” (DFID).
• Southern research institutes to
incentivise researchers to spend
time on communicationtime on communication
• Publishers to support southern
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researchers to make their work
more publishable

21. What will make a difference?
Spaces that enable all
researchers to share knowledge,
debate and challenge potentialdebate and challenge potential
solutions to global problems,
regardless of their geographical g g g p
location.
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22. Thank youThank you Sherine Ghoneim
sghoneim@gdn.int
Sherine Ghoneim
sghoneim@gdn.int
www.gdnet.orgwww.gdnet.org
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