Improving the Effectiveness of the Research-to-Translation Value Chain

* The Inaugural LASER PULSE Research for Development (R4D) Conference *

LASER PULSE is a USAID-funded global program for supporting the discovery and uptake of university-sourced, evidence-based solutions to development challenges.  We bring together university researchers, development practitioners (including donors and NGO implementers), and government, private sector, and community leaders to connect, collaborate and innovate together.

What is it about?

The first-ever LASER PULSE R4D Conference will be an exciting gathering of selected researchers, donors, NGO implementers, and government and private sector actors.  Our interactions will emphasize innovation resulting from translated research in those areas, as well as the suite of factors necessary to achieve impact.  LASER, through our R4D Conferences and the grants rounds that follow, is focused on the academic or institutional research roots of translation, and the partnership and pathways for this to happen.

This conference is oriented primarily towards Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania in the context of addressing development challenges in the sectors of basic education, food security, maternal/child healthcare, water.  A mix of small and large group experiences will be featured, including sessions on: research networking, effective practices for supporting research, research capacity gap analysis, and input into sharpening the research topics within the aforementioned sectors.

In particular, the conference will focus on:

  •   Identifying research priorities: Through a process known as Comprehensive Issue Analysis, LASER PULSE will propel the collaborative development of actionable research questions tied to region-specific priorities.  This methodology will not only help program participants create a research agenda, but will also demonstrate an effective method which participants can replicate for future priority issues.
  •   Supporting collaboration: The LASER PULSE R4D Conference will provide a range of opportunities for researchers, development actors, policy makers, and donors to connect, engage and collaborate with each other.
  •   Advancing research translation: A key focal point of the conference is how to achieve successful translation of research to products, practices, or policies that are geared to solving development challenges.  It will also include significant opportunities for all participants to increase their capacity to participate in the research translation value chain.