Critical knowledge for policy, practice and communities
The Problem
Changing rainfall patterns, extreme weather and depleted soils disrupt agriculture and reduce yields. Outdated curricula and teacher training undermine basic literacy and numeracy. Weak health systems and poor access to essential medicines leave gaps in primary care.
Yet innovations in climate-smart agriculture, access to finance, teacher training, and pharmaceutical production can improve lives and create new jobs. Meeting all of these challenges depends on rigorous and relevant research, that equips policy makers, health workers, farmers, teachers and citizens to take the right decisions and make the right investments.
But critical research is produced far from the communities that need it, while researchers across the majority world lack support to secure funding, build collaborations, engage with policy makers and drive change.
What we do
We support researchers in the majority world by centering their needs, providing free-to-access, high quality digital learning and spaces for them to connect and share expertise.
Our support equips early career researchers to:
- design research for engagement and impact
- write strong grant proposals
- forge connections with policymakers
- publish their work in academic journals
- communicate their ideas and evidence beyond academia.
At the heart of this work is Rising Scholars, our community platform for and driven by early career researchers, with over 14,000 members across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Our impact
Every year we enable thousands of early career researchers to advance their careers. In the last three years, 23,000 researchers have gained new knowledge and strengthened their skills.
90% report career progress, 90% have gained valuable skills, knowledge and confidence, 69% align their research to policy and 88% to wider community needs. 65% have published a paper since joining, with 58% doing so within 12 months
Community stories
- Environmental lawyer, Phan Ahu Thu, has enhanced research and student mentoring in Vietnam.
- Sudanese researcher, Nafisa M K Elehamer, credits our course as a pivotal step in her career.
- Sharon Gubamwoyo has been able to do important work on East Africa's wetlands ecosystems and climate change.
- Aulath Mustafa has developed new thinking on soil-less organic farming to achieve more sustainable agriculture in Tanzania.
- Dr Buna Bhandari has built new connections and gained new visibility for her work on non-communicable diseases in Nepal.
- Dr Sherifat Balogun-Raji has advanced important work on antimicrobial resistance and the challenges that zoonotic diseases pose to livelihoods, food security and human health in north east Nigeria.
Our plans
In partnership with the community we plan to:
- Extend our support to address further skill needs
- Develop our offer in key thematic areas - from agriculture to education, to health to enterprise.
- Extend our community leadership
- Enable more local hubs