HEARD News - Issue 3, March, 2010
 
 
 
Young Carers Project
The Young Carers uKunakekela' KwaZulu (KZN) project is a large-scale panel study that is part of a larger national study that aims to gather information on the wellbeing of children affected by AIDS


Unplanned ART Interruption Report Released
Southern Africa is plagued by numerous crises that can lead to unplanned treatment interruptions for people on ART.


HEARD's Gender Project: Recent Developments
The Gender Project has two exciting recent developments. First, on 10 December 2009 the Project held its first Project Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting/


Newsletter Issue 3
March 2010

 
Research utilisation at HEARD

As HEARD develops its strategic direction for 2011 and beyond, 'research utilisation for impact' is at the centre of its focus. A foundation of HEARD's work is effective knowledge and information utilisation among researchers, within the public and private sectors, and among African leadership in all spheres. Moreover, in recent years, both in academia and in practice, interest has intensified in how to go about this utilisation and how to translate this knowledge and evidence into impact.

This year, HEARD has begun an exciting process of strengthening its utilisation plans, policies and capacity. This process is drawing on the utilisation experience that already resides within the organisation, while also being built on utilisation resources and mechanisms that span its research programme, its two programmes supporting African leadership and regional capacity building and its communications and marketing function. The organisation is therefore in a position to develop a truly integrated utilisation strategy that can bridge key elements of effective utilisation, including:

  • project-level planning;
  • organisational capacity building around research utilisation;
  • strong regional networks;
  • reciprocal links between emerging evidence in research and regional needs for evidence and levels of up-take of knowledge and information
  • specialised and synergistic dissemination and communication strategies - including the development of a HEARD utilisation 'toolbox' of utilisation tools and techniques.

We look forward to sharing further developments and lessons!

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© HEARD 2010