Media centre Jobs Contact Research Learn Events News & opinion About Search About Research clusters CLUSTER Knowledge, Impact and Policy IDS has pioneered approaches to linking up the supply of inclusive research with the demand for evidence from governments, donors, international development agencies, and civil society. It has also helped shape the concept of the politics of knowledge and current understandings of the relationship between evidence, policy and practice being social, political and interactive. We have significant experience of mobilising knowledge in response to urgent humanitarian crises, and also provide tailored development knowledge services to governments and donor agencies as well as centres of excellence for knowledge sharing and engagement. Our research staff and knowledge specialists bring particular experience and expertise in the following areas: Monitoring, evaluation and learning for impact We support projects and organisations to design and implement effective monitoring and evaluation frameworks and develop theories of change. We also facilitate learning around research impact and support reflective learning as a key component of impactful research projects and development programmes. Evidence into use We work to inform research design that integrates knowledge exchange and stakeholder engagement mechanisms from the start. This includes capacity/learning support for internal knowledge management strategies, design of research programme uptake strategies and facilitation of engagement strategies to bring together stakeholders into effective networks and communities of practice. Digitally enabled knowledge exchange We advocate for the ‘thoughtful use of technology’, in effectively curating and sharing knowledge. We have the technical and editorial skills to design and develop innovative digital research communications products, to advise on best practise in the use of digital technologies for knowledge exchange and to build the capacity of others to make good use of openly available tools. Research communications Generating high quality accessible products designed for maximum engagement including the IDS Bulletin. Capacity building and mutual learning Through programmes and projects and providing short courses for institutions and individuals we work at the interface between research evidence and policy and practice. Share Evidence into Policy and Practice newsletter Stay up to date with our research, events, teaching and professional development learning by subscribing to our regular e-newsletter. Subscribe Key contacts Kelly Shephard Head of Knowledge, Impact and Policy k.shephard@ids.ac.uk +44 (0)1273 915795 People Alan Stanley Digital Knowledge Manager Alice Shaw Editorial Coordinator - K4D Alice Webb Communications and Impact Officer Alison Norwood Publications Manager Alistair Scott Knowledge Officer Beth Richard Production Editor Ed Small Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Specialist Emilie Wilson Communications Officer See all Projects PROJECT K4D Learning Journey on Inclusion in Crises Inclusion is an approach (and an objective) founded on the human rights principles of inherent dignity, participation and respect for diversity which counters structural discrimination and enables affected people and communities to more effectively anticipate, prevent, prepare, respond,... PROJECT K4D Learning Journey on International Nature K4D provides the UK Department for International Development with facilitated learning activities to explore and respond to complex, interdisciplinary development issues of strategic importance to policy, programming and organisational learning. PROJECT K4D Learning Journey on Security and Access to Justice The Security & Access to Justice (S&J) Learning Journey will help address S&J challenges and capability gaps within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). This will be done primarily through a series of facilitated discussions and expertise-sharing with select FCDO and Open... PROJECT K4D Learning Journey on Tax and Gender K4D provides the UK Department for International Development with facilitated learning activities to explore and respond to complex, interdisciplinary development issues of strategic importance to policy, programming and organisational learning. See all Recent work FEATURED PROJECT Covid Collective Research Platform The Covid Collective Research Platform will offer a rapid social science research response to inform decision-making on some of the most pressing Covid-19 related development challenges. The Covid-19 pandemic is a global crisis requiring rapid generation of policy-relevant evidence to inform decision-making as we move from crisis to recovery phase and beyond. The Covid Collective brings together the expertise of, initially, eight partner organisations, coordinated by the Institute of Development Studies. OPINION COP26: a masterclass of contested policy making The past two weeks have been dominated by global coverage of the COP26 climate summit with nearly 25,000 policy makers and climate activists travelling to Glasgow to be part of the climate discussions. It closed with a perhaps unsurprising last minute intervention that watered down the final... Natalie Orringe 18 November 2021 OPINION Five steps to telling stories of impact Stories are an intrinsic part of how we raise awareness, generate understanding and build engagement with the universal development challenges and our work to help those marginalised, living in poverty or with injustice globally. This makes the way we ‘tell’ stories about impact vital as a... Vivienne Benson 27 October 2021 PUBLICATION Armed Group Transition from Rebel to Government K4D Helpdesk Report Governments and political parties with an armed history are not unusual, yet how these groups function during and after the transition from conflict has largely been ignored by the existing literature. Many former armed groups have assumed power in a variety of contexts. Whilst this process is... William Avis 18 October 2021 OPINION Please follow the science (but not too much!) Earlier this week, we heard that UK politicians insufficiently challenged the Covid-19 scientific advice coming from our Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). However, we were also told that they can’t deal with complexity and may have misunderstood the advice. Some of this... James Georgalakis 14 October 2021 OPINION Translation to reach a global research audience Over the past few years at IDS, colleagues in the Knowledge, Impact and Policy cluster have been considering how to best meet an increasing need to produce high-quality translations of research publications when budgets are limited. In an effort to improve the effectiveness of this process, we... Beth Richard Alice Webb 6 October 2021 PUBLICATION The journey to achieving fair water footprints for climate resilient, inclusive, and sustainable development The global water crisis is exacerbated by climate change and poorer quality water – along with less of it – are two major impacts. We must adapt our use and approaches to this finite resource and meet global goals. Yet action on water adaptation, which we have also seen in Covid-19 recovery,... 5 October 2021 See all Contact Subscribe to our newsletter(s) IDS Bulletin Disclaimer & cookies Privacy statement © 2021 Institute of Development Studies Design and development by Soapbox We use cookies to enable us to see how this website is being used. This helps us to ensure that the website is user-friendly, and that you’re able to access the information you need easily. Our cookies are stored locally on your device. To accept our cookies, continue browsing as normal: alternatively please see our cookie policy for more information. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies