Project Management Guidelines for Research Capacity Building Partnerships

Practical hands-on recommendations on how to plan and organize North-South research capacity building (RCB) partnerships. The guidelines provide a basis for applying a holistic perspective on the design and implementation of RCB projects. Furthermore, the guidelines aim at elucidating the complexity involved in ensuring successful RCB partnerships. Principles and aspects that should be considered in planning and implementing the projects are described, and concrete recommendations are given on general project management tools or frameworks. Furthermore, the guidelines build on key lessons learned by ENRECA project managers captured in the review.

Download the guidelines [pdf, 632kB].

Project management in research capacity building projects - A REVIEW of management experiences, challenges, and opportunities in ENRECA projects

An overview of project management experiences and practices in Enhancement of Research Capacity (ENRECA) projects funded by Danida during the period 1989-2008, including an overview of the project management practices of ENRECA projects and lessons learned by ENRECA project managers, i.e. challenges and opportunities experienced. Thus, the publication can provide future project managers, university administrators and donors with a useful understanding of the complexity involved in managing North-South RCB partnerships. The results of the review are summarised in a brief overview of findings and lessons learned.The results of this overview are summarised in the Overview of findings and lessons learned.

Download the report [pdf, 1.166kB].

Strategic Collaboration on Research for Development: A Review of the Institutional Framework in Selected European Countries

This review was commissioned in preparation of the DDRN conference "Strategic Collaboration on Higher Education and Research for Development - Drivers and Challenges" that was held on May 25-26, 2009 in Århus. 

The purpose of this review is to provide inputs to a discussion of ways forward for research collaboration by synthesizing and documenting institutional arrangements, lessons learned and strategies for research collaboration in a selected group of European countries and Canada. Though findings and recommendations in the following are relevant for the future work of the DDRN, they are primarily targeted at universities or organizations which carry out development research and seek to strengthen future development research collaboration.

Download the report [pdf, 346kB].

Background on the Debates and Documentation of Research on Climate Change and Food Security in Southern Africa 

This overview report was commissioned by the Danish Development Research Network in December 2008 with two main objectives in mind:
1. to synthesise the results of recent research on climate change and food security within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and
2. to map the institutions that operate in the region linked to climate change and food security.

This report is intended to contribute to a joint network initiative to improve knowledge sharing, research cooperation and the uptake of research into policy and practice regarding the impacts of climate change on human health, water and food security in the SADC region. To read about the initiative, please follow this link. 

Download the report [pdf, 467kB].

Danish Research Competences and Projects on Global Value Chains, Business and Development

This overview was commissioned in occasion of the DDRN conference on Global Value Chain, Business and Development  that was held on December 9, 2008. As an input to the conference, DDRN decided to elaborate a mapping of Danish 1) research competences and 2) ongoing and recently finished research projects within Global Value Chains (GVC) related to development countries from the perspectives of business and development.

The mapping aims at facilitating the access of policy-makers and other relevant actors within GVC to Danish knowledge and expertise related to Global Value Chain, Business and Development. It is also envisioned that the mapping will be a useful tool in identifying partners and supporting the development of future joint research proposals.

To read more, please download the overview [pdf, 312kB].

Overview of Danish research competences and research projects - with regard to climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation in developing countries

The research networks Danish Development Research Network (DDRN), Danish Water Forum (DWF), and the Danish Research Network for International Health (ENRECAHEALTH) commissioned an overview of competences and research projects within the area of ‘climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation in developing countries’. The overview aims to facilitate the access of policy makers and development practitioners to Danish based research and to facilitate networking and joint research proposals.

The overview was conducted as a short-term consultancy and carried out in May-June 2008. Based on individual contributions from researchers, it presents 63 individual profiles (50 males/13 females) and 64 on-going or recently terminated research projects.

The focal areas covered in the overview are: 1) the climate system; 2) CC and agriculture; 3) CC and local livelihoods; 4) CC and mitigation; 5) CC and adaptation; 6) CC and health; 7) CC and water resources; 8) CC and security; 9) CC, law and governance; 10) CC, rivers and coastal dynamics; 11) CC, ecosystems and biodiversity. To read the report, please follow this link [pdf].

Research trends and challenges in Rural Economic Development - and the contribution of the Danish resource base

To provide input for discussion at the conference organised jointly by the Danish Development Research Network (DDRN) and Danida “Conference on Rural Economic Development: Opportunities and Challenges in Future Growth Strategies”, which was held in Copenhagen on April 8-9, 2008, DDRN commissioned a review of past and ongoing research on areas related to Rural Economic Development (RED).

The review was carried out as a desk study. The report presents an overview of Danish research related to RED over the past five to eight years. Most of the research has been financed by Danida though it includes other Danish funds, as well as the EU, SIDA, WB and other sources. The report describes examples of the main trends in recent and current research and how these contribute to rural economic development in developing countries.

Please download the overview [pdf].

Review of competences and research within urban environmental management in South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania

Development and sharing of knowledge and engagement in research aimed at developing locally relevant responses to UEM challenges are crucial elements in addressing the problems and negative effects of environmental degradation on poor urban communities.

DDRN has just (February 2008) produced an overview of competences and research within UEM in Southern Africa to be used as a basis for sharing of information and dialogue among researchers, development practitioners and policy makers within UEM. The overview is based on relevant documents and previous research overviews and competence profiles produced by the ReNED (2006) and DDRN (2007) and focuses on South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania where Denmark has strong environmental programme support.

Follow this link to download the overview [pdf].

Profiles of DDRN members with expertise within Governance

In October 2007 the DDRN secretariat compiled a catalogue of profiles as an input to a Danida seminar for advisers and embassy staff working within governance, and to a governance workshop organised by DDRN together with a regional organisation of African universities, RUFORUM. Both activities were held in Kampala, Uganda, in October 2007.

The overview contains 19 individual competence profiles and details of 13 research projects. They cover a variety of competences, skills, expertises and research results of direct relevance to the focus areas of governance, namely:
1) Anti-corruption; 2) Local service delivery; 3) Public financial management; 4) Other areas (human rights and democratisation, judicial sector and rule of law, the media, civil society); 5) Mainstreaming of governance in sector programmes.

An extended version of the overview is planned to be elaborated in a second phase, in which embassy staff and sector programme advisers on governance will submit their profiles. In addition, Ugandan researchers on governance and mainstreaming of governance in agriculture will be integrated as well.

Please download the catalogue [pdf].

Sumario de investigaciones danesas sobre Nicaragua. Agricultura, medio ambiente y gobernabilidad

In July 2007 the DDRN secretariat compiled an overview of on-going research collaboration between Denmark and Nicaragua within the areas of agriculture, environment and governance.
The overview was developed in dialogue with the Danish Embassy in Nicaragua, and it was mainly targeted at embassy and programme staff, consultants involved in programme implementation and researchers in Nicaragua.
The overview contains 6 collaboration projects between 5 different research centres in Denmark and 7 centres in Nicaragua. The themes for collaboration research are the following: 1) Exploitation of Amaranth grain; 2) Conflict and cooperation in local water governance; 3) Biodiversity, Ecology and Society; 4) Smallholder livestock production and health; 5) Sustainable Development Strategies for Central America; 6) Land claims.

Please download the research overview [pdf].

Danish researchers interested in UEM in South Africa

The Danish Embassy in South Africa has forwarded a request to DDRN regarding profiles of SA interested Danish researchers with expertise and competences within the focus areas of the Urban Environment Management Programme in South Africa. These are 1) Integrated Urban Planning, 2) Environmetal Health, 3) Waste Management and 4) Sustainable Energy. The catalogue of competence profiles will be an input to the further planning of the ‘knowledge management and civil Society Support’ component of the programme.

The catalogue was compiled in April 2007 by the network coordinator Anne Sørensen. A revised catalogue is being compiled and will be available on this site within a few months.
Please download the catalogue [pdf].