Improving for impact relates to the way DeSIRA projects are efficintly managed to produce the impact they are seeking. DeSIRA projects are Research for Innovation projects that operate in complex and varied contexts across the world. They face the challenge of generating combined impactful outcomes at various levels of the Agricultural Innovation Systems, agricultural systems and food systems.
DeSIRA-LIFT Service Area 1 is providing support to project teams in 5 core capacities to accelerate and enable contributions to impacts.
- Capacity 1: Real-time MEL: Reinforcing or developing the capacity to design and implement real-time Monitoring Evaluation and Learning – MEL meets the requirement of projects to combine learning and accountability. Developing an ad-hoc Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system and selecting best-fit tools helps to work with a Theory of Change and make use of it to improve log frames, build spaces for learning and critical reflection in project activities, and track and monitor capacity outcomes. Real-Time MEL also helps to demonstrate the contribution of capacity-building outcomes to impacts and demonstrate the project contributions to the overall DeSIRA Initiative. It also provides for purposeful communication.
- Capacity 2: Managing Open Innovation (OI): Reinforcing the capacity to manage Open Innovation – OI intends to help projects engage and interact with multiple and varied stakeholders at several levels of the AIS. OI seeks to build ownership and avoid discontinuities when the project comes to an end. Through OI, projects can help design and set up in-country innovation trajectories, and manage uncertainties in their time-bound and pre-defined outcomes constraints while handling opportunism and compromises.
- Capacity 3: Adapt and respond to Innovation Needs: The capacity to adapt and respond to innovation needs and build space for learning and capacity development among the various stakeholders is the capacity to use agile management methodologies to start/implement/terminate an innovation project under different types of constraints (time, budget, context) while anticipating and planning subsequent steps beyond the project. It links up with the capacity to implement real-time MEL by bringing up the use of progress markers and critical reflection steps to adjust to the moving target of innovation goals.
- Capacity 4: Influence Projects Environment(s) and Strengthen National AIS: Continuity of outcomes towards impact requires overall ownership and support to sustain the innovation trajectories set by the projects. It is therefore paramount that projects can influence their environment beyond their direct stakeholders to build systemic change in the AIS and long-term dynamics. Building this capacity requires projects to identify which types of capacity outcomes could be achieved at various AIS levels, engage relevant actors of change in project activities, strategically link project activities with innovation support services in the country, and to national innovation policy agendas, instruments and investments.
- Capacity 5: Collaborate and Form Transformative Partnerships: In its role of driving and boosting innovation projects in countries, Research cannot operate in isolation and needs to build strong collaborations to ensure transformative processes take place and are owned by the relevant stakeholders. Building the capacity to collaborate goes through iterative learning cycles and collective learning, the promotion and support of behavioral changes toward more collaborative innovation. Partnerships with other innovation actors in innovation facilities (hubs, centers, living labs, incubators, etc.) are critical, as well as tracking and monitoring capacity outcomes pushed by the project in these facilities.
Below you can find a repository of all outputs related to Proving for Impact. Examples are our Stories of Change series; Participatory Videos created by DeSIRA-LIFT projects, podcasts and other audio files.
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