CEI supported the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) to develop an online research uptake training course for researchers in low- and middle-income countries.
For research evidence to be impactful, it needs to be accessed, understood and applied appropriately by research users. In the context of addressing and stopping violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC), these research users include funders, policymakers, programmers, practitioners, professional bodies, advocates, the media and communities.
Yet, low research uptake is common across these stakeholder groups, suggesting there is a mismatch between research supply and research use. The full impact of research that seeks to understand, address and stop VAW and VAC is yet to be realised. The resulting research waste is a particularly vexing phenomenon in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts where resources are stretched and/or may not be consistently accessible.
Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) is committed to increasing and strengthening action-oriented research and its uptake to improve and expand VAW and VAC prevention globally. The organisation is particularly focused on enabling high-quality research and efficient research uptake in LMICs. To this end SVRI has partnered with CEI, in collaboration with the Africa Centre for Evidence (ACE), on an initiative that aims to strengthen the capacity of researchers in LMICs to produce policy- and practice-relevant research, and to promote uptake of their research findings so that evidence-informed action is taken against VAW and VAC.
Strengthening researcher capacity in research uptake
There are many players in the ‘evidence ecosystem', and they all have a role in building an evidence-using culture to inform action against VAW and VAC. This project will focus on influencing the research supply, recognising that having good evidence and sharing it are preconditions for research uptake. By strengthening capability and skills and equipping researchers to engage in research uptake activities this project will make a unique – and required– contribution to the evidence ecosystem.
CEI, ACE and SVRI, along with their research grantees and other stakeholders, co-developed an online research uptake course and accompanying guide for researchers.
In the blog, ‘Why you do what you do? The Pathways to Research Impact SVRI online course’, Angelica Pino, SVRI Grants Manager and Capacity Strengthening Specialist, wrote on the course.
Both the course and the guide will be freely available and tailored to the needs of researchers in LMIC contexts whose work focuses on understanding, addressing and stopping VAW and VAC. Through a series of interactive learning modules, researchers will have the opportunity to improve knowledge and understanding of what effective research uptake looks like, and to gain skills in enhancing use of the research that they plan and produce.
Free online course launching September 7 2022
CEI and partners have developed content by drawing deeply on:
- implementation science principles and practices
- the published evidence about research uptake barriers in LMIC contexts, and in relation to VAW and VAC specifically.
- the lived experiences of the challenges of research uptake faced by research producers & research users in LMICs
- expertise in research uptake from both high income and low- and middle-income country experts.
Please register here.
