Preparation Exploration Negotiation Implementation
Researcher: Please limit the time and resource constraints you place on the pursuit of truth (and reputation). Let’s gather as much information as we can from the field, because you never know what will be useful in the end.
Practitioner: I am often constrained by what the donor desires. My donor’s timelines and resources are usually not at the same level as your research grants, please remember that!
Convergence: It is important to discuss respective constraints at the beginning and to be honest about which are non-negotiable hard constraints and which are soft constraints that might be negotiable. Meet early and often on feasible learning questions of interest to all (academics, practitioners and donors). Make sure all understand that changes to those questions once established will prolong the timeline and require additional resources! Academics: Recognize that the donor processes and guidelines are every bit as important to INGO operations as IRB guideline are to academics. INGOs: Be as up front as possible about resource and time constraints imposed by the project.
Questions Researchers Can Ask:
What does the donor hope to achieve through the research?
What level of rigor is feasible/expected from the donor?
What level of independence is the research team permitted?
How does the donor measure research quality/impact?
Who is the donor accountable to and how might this influence the research scope/framing?
Are there any topics, populations, or geographies that are off-limits or outside of the donor’s area of interest?
Are there restrictions on when, where, or how we publish our findings?
Who ‘owns’ the research findings and data? What level of ownership does the donor claim? How do we reconcile this with IRB requirements?
Questions Practitioners Can Ask:
What does the donor hope to achieve through implementation?
What are the reporting requirements?
What audiences can/should be involved in defining the research questions or commenting on emerging findings?
What kind of impact is expected from implementation?
What audiences need to be included in our communication/dissemination strategy?
What populations need to be reached by or included in implementation?
What kinds of outputs does the donor expect?
How are the research findings expected to feed into implementation (and vice versa)?
Questions Both Can Ask:
What are your previous experiences working with this donor?
What are the funders’ expectations of the partnership and of evidence generation?
How does the donor expect research and implementation to be integrated (or not)?
What are the opportunities or implications for follow-on funding?
How rigid are the funders’ requirements?
What are the core common terms and concepts that shape the donor’s research and evidence context?
Are there specific buzzwords we need to be aware of?
What are the pressures for using them?