| [Back to front page] | Assessing impact For most of CIFOR’s research portfolio the outputs and impacts still lie in the future. Case studies to evaluate and quantify impact are at an early phase of development and definition. A key issue is the extent and detail to which CIFOR’s research can be subjected to rigorous ex post evaluation. CIFOR is still a relatively young institution and much of its research has yet to reach the adoption/impact phase of the research cycle. Since adoption, or the use of, research outputs is a necessary prerequisite for impact, this work seeks to improve understanding of the process. Two impact assessment evaluations were started in 1997 that will contribute to this objective. Both cases also have a strong emphasis on methodology development. They are:
The policy case study focuses on an ex post analysis of ’influential’ policy writings. It does not examine CIFOR impact, but will serve to reveal important factors that determine whether policy research writings are destined to influence policy decisions or whether they are merely destined for the library bookshelf. The C&I initiative has the potential to make a difference at the forest management level and is ‘high profile’, therefore there will be considerable interest in evaluation of the impact. The C&I case study is attempting to quantify impact, but also highlighting factors that influence the adoption of research findings. There are wide variety of potential user groups, many of which are common to other CIFOR research. The C&I project represents what is probably an unusual case. If the findings show that research outputs were adopted by accreditation or certification agencies (for sustainable forest management) there is a regulatory link (certification schemes) between the C&I research and on the ground management in the certified forests. Another aspect of research evaluation is the assessment of research capacity of
national research systems in areas where CIFOR is focusing its research efforts. The aim
is to gather baseline information that will later serve to highlight changes in capacity,
and to supply CIFOR, donors and national agricultural research services/systems (NARS)
themselves with accurate comparative information relating to current institutional
research capacities. Opportunities for collaboration between institutes and CIFOR can also
be framed in the context of the research capacity available. Methodologies have been
developed, a study in eastern and southern Africa has been completed and a report
published in the Journal of World Resource Management. One is under way in West Africa and
one is planned for 1998. |