Overview

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One consequence of HEARD's applied research mandate is ongoing effort to create and broaden spaces for interaction between scientists, government and NGO agencies, with a view to improving development strategies and practical interventions in Africa.

In order to achieve this, HEARD and the Regional Network on AIDS, Livelihoods and Food Security ( RENEWAL) programme of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) are facilitating meetings to bring the results of research to the attention of policy-makers, and to stimulate collaborative thinking on how to "do development" in the context of complex problems and conditions. HEARD works closely with the RENEWAL regional co-ordinator, Dr Scott Drimie.

Inevitably, much of our current effort is in southern Africa, which is widely regarded as a particularly vulnerable region in view of the scale of the development challenges arising from a rampant HIV/AIDS pandemic, climate change, political and economic instability and transition.

In practice, our activities range from designing collaborative, multi-country and inter-disciplinary research projects in consultation with government agencies, to organising symposia and other meetings to forge links between practitioners on the ground and policy-makers, and to create networks and knowledge-sharing.

To illustrate, RENEWAL has established "National Advisory Panels", made up of senior government personnel, researchers and members of civil society, to guide and comment on its research projects. The partnership has organised meetings in various countries where it operates for review of research results ­- one of which is on the "Child Future Security" project.

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