Future of Users’ Led Research and Innovation Partnerships

Vladimir Verner 
Dep. of Economics and Development 
Czech University of Life Sciences 

29-30 November, 2016. Prague. Czech University of Life Sciences. 2016 Annual Technical and Business Meeting. European Forum for Agricultural Research for Development (EFARD).


The theme for the 2016 EFARD annual meeting was the “Future of User-Led Research and Innovation Partnerships” to determine the relevance from the perspectives of European AR4D stakeholders and how best to embed and up-scale this approach for achieving the sustainable development goals through North-South research and development cooperation involving researchers and non-researchers considering especially Eastern and Central European perspectives.

As EFARD’s mission is to promote more effective, demand-driven and impact-focused research and innovation through building partnerships particularly with developing countries, this year’s annual technical meeting provided a platform for reflection and learning by showcasing the experience of ongoing policy and programme initiatives, in particular the PAEPARD programme, and lessons learned from the ULP process, innovative AR4D funding mechanisms and innovation partnerships between Europe and Africa.

• Download the concept note of the meeting and the programme
• Download the list of participants
• Report of the EFARD 2016 Annual Technical and Business MeetingKey messages 

The meeting focused on the message that "lessons learned are crucial". Sharing and learning from the PAEPARD experiences and using the results of the CTA/EFARD study clarified a number of issues. See below presentation.

PAEPARD Users’-Led Process and Multi-Stakeholder Innovation Partnerships – Learning from the PAEPARD Experience 

• Building multi-stakeholder innovation partnerships (MSHIPs) involving users is a process, which takes time. 
• Small funding has enhanced the motivation and capacity building of partners, especially farmer organisations, which has increased European interest to work together with African-led innovation partnerships. A change of mindset especially on the value of research has been noted among the nonresearch actors involved in the PAEPARD Users’-led process (ULP). 
• Funding is a key incentive to the engagement of (European) actors. European partners are motivated to join a MSHIP when there is a call for proposals launched by donors. 
• Good communication is a key component of MSHIPs.
• Passion and commitment are key factors for actor engagement and the success of MSHIPs. 
• Engaging users in MSH and research and innovation (R&I) partnerships must be adequately funded and funds should be disbursed in a timely manner. Innovative and diverse funding mechanisms are critical.
 

Extract of the PAEPARD programme:

• PAEPARD Innovative Funding Mechanisms and Lessons Learned from Africa-EU AR4D partnerships over the years – Jonas Mugabe, FARA, Ghana and Remi Kahane, Agrinatura/ CIRAD, France - PAEPARD Management Team
• EFARD’s Assessment of the position of European partners in the PAEPARD Users’-Led Process – Laurianne Ollivier, EFARD Intern and J.A. Francis, Executive Secretary, EFARD, The Netherlands 
• Adding Value to Mango Waste in West-Africa led by COLEACP (European-led) – Timbilfou Kiendrebeogo, Zootechnicien/Systèmes de Production Animale, CNRST/INERA, Burkina Faso and Denis Felicite-Zulma, Project Officer, COLEACP, France 
• Aflatoxin Groundnut Value Chain in Malawi-Zambia led by FANRPAN (African-led) – Limbikani Kenani Matumba, Lecturer/Researcher, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR),
  
  Malawi and Tim Chancellor, Director of Capacity Strengthening and Partnerships, Natural  Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, United Kingdom 
• Users’/Farmers’ perspectives on engaging in research and innovation partnerships -Irish potato Consortium -Burundi (public research leader) – Anton Haverkort, Researcher, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands 
• Trichoderma for horticulture soil fertility management in Burkina Faso (private sector leader) – Olivier Besnard and Claude Arsène Savadogo, Administrateur-Géran, GIE BIOPROTECT-B, Burkina Faso

Extract of the Eastern and Central Europe programme:
EFARD also seeked to engage more with Eastern and Central Europe organizations and issues.

• The Future of Demand-led Research and Innovation – Szandra Megyery, International Research Coordinator, National Agriculture Research and Innovation Centre, Hungary 
• Showcasing examples of research and innovation partnerships led by Eastern and Central European partner organisations Strengthening the Engagement of Eastern and Central Europe in Agricultural Research and Innovation Partnerships – Vladimir Verner, Professor Assistant, Head of Department of Economics and Development, Czech University of Life Sciences, Czech Republic 
• Transformative Change of Agriculture through Collaborative Agricultural Research and Citizen-led Innovation – Michael Hauser, President of Agrinatura, Boku University, Austria 
• Process model based decision support for multi-stakeholder water-food-energy-ecosystem networks - harmonization of local interests with global sustainability –Monika Varga, YPARD Representative- Hungary, Kaposvár University, Hungary 
• Reinventing networking and collective action in the Balkans: the case of Slow Food in Velika Plana, central Serbia – Ivana Radic Jean, YPARD Representative- Serbia - AgTraIn PhD program SupAgro University, CIRAD, Montpellier and University of Catania, France 
• Agriculture and Research: Kosovo's youth brought together with YPARD – Hana Voca, YPARD Representative – Kosovo- Agriculture engineer, AEP Anadolu Etap Penkon company, Turkey 
• Ana Vrankulj, Associate, South Eastern Europe Advisory Service Network (SEASN), Croatia 
• Regional Development Association - Transforming Lives to Better – Davit Gogilashvili, YPARD Representative– Georgia - Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Regional Development Association (RDA), Georgia 
• Increasing youth engagement through YPARD in Mongolia– Enkhtor Anudari, YPARD 
  Representative – Mongolia, Czech University of Life Sciences, Czech Republic

Presentations

1. ARD4D in the EU development cooperation
2. The future of demand-led research and innovation
3. Strengthening the Engagement of Eastern and Central Europe in Agricultural Research and Innovation Partnerships (PAEPARD project)
4. PAEPARD innovative funding mechanisms and lessons learned from Africa-EU ARD4D partnerships
5. Stemming Aflatoxin pre- and post-harvest waste in the groundnut value chain in Malawi and Zambia to improve food and nutrition security in the smallholder farming families
6. COLEACP Users'-led process
7. Seed potato quality innovations for small scale farmers in Burundi
8. Effects of Trichoderma sp improved composts on vegetable production in Sub-Saharan area
9. PAEPARD Users' Led Process (YPARD representatives)
10. Process model-based decision support for multi-stakeholder water-food-energy-ecosystem network
11. Capacity building for youth in organic agriculture
12. Engaging youth through YPARD in Mongolia
13. Tranforming lives to better in rural Georgia
14. Reinventing networking and collective action in the Balkans: the case of slow food in Velika Plana (Update from EFARD member)
15. GFAR evolution and GCARD 3: Implications for governance
16. Capacity development for Agricultural Innovation Systems (CDAIS) project 2015-2018
17. Updates on YPARD - Young professionals for agricultural development
18. Latest news on SCAR, the SCAR CASA Project and the SCAR ARCH WG
19. EFARD Mid-Term Report

Related: Launch of the PAEPARD publications:

Facilitating innovation in agricultural research for development:
Brokerage as the vital link, “From assumptions to reality”
François Stepman, Edited by Susanna Cartmell-Thorp, WRENmedia
PAEPARD November 2016. Published by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa – FARA, Accra, Ghana, 20 pages

Enseignements des consultations sectorielles et multi-acteurs menées dans le cadre de PAEPARD entre 2010 et 2012
Julie Flament, Denis Félicité-Zulma, Jonas Mugabe et Rémi Kahane
22.11.2016, 40 pages
Avant d’engager les acteurs africains et européens dans ces partenariats, et pour mieux les y préparer, le projet a organisé entre 2010 et 2012 des consultations en Afrique et en Europe, qui font l’objet de cette publication.
Inclusive, balanced, demand-led partnerships for ARD: A consultative process.
PAEPARD Policy brief nr. 3. November 2016. 8 pages

This document presents a summary of the main findings of sector and multi-stakeholder consultations conducted by the Platform for African European Partnership on Agricultural Research for Development (PAEPARD) during 2010-2012. It provides recommendations for the sustainable establishment of partnerships in agricultural research for development (ARD), between African and European partners in particular, to be innovative, balanced and demand-driven. From the consultations all PAEPARD partners agreed that, while the cultures and interests of each sector are often different, points of view need to converge and expertise be put at the disposal of all partners if a multi-stakeholder partnership in ARD is to be successful

Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo of FARA

The first paper Brokerage as the vital link, “From assumptions to reality” highlights lessons learned from the development of PAEPARD-
supported consortia, which illustrate various impacts of brokerage.

A number of assumptions have been used in the implementation of PAEPARD II, which PAEPARD consortium partners have worked to refine over the years. The most important assumptions included:

1. Demand-driven agricultural innovation and research increases quality of results; 
2. Innovation facilitators are key in multi-stakeholder partnership success; 
3. An inclusive approach supports locally-led change, innovation and entrepreneurship; 
4. PAEPARD supported-consortia have better balanced multi-stakeholder partnerships; 
5. Improved call preparedness increases success rate of ARD proposals