What does research offer to development NGOs and vice versa?

This workshop aims to discuss experiences with, attitudes towards, and lessons learned from various forms of research-practice collaboration in the field of development. We are primarily interested in the joint co-production of new knowledge by practitioners and researchers, collaborating on eye level in a transdisciplinary way.

It is based on an on-going study exploring how European development NGO employees perceive and engage in collaboration between research and practice. The project is conducted by researchers from the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) across six countries (Austria, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Romania, and Sweden) and includes both quantitative (online survey) and qualitative methods (semi-structured interviews in the researchers’ home countries).

The workshop will be conducted as a round table, equally staffed by researchers and NGO practitioners. We (the researchers) will briefly introduce our research project (motivation, aims, research design, initial results), before a facilitator will moderate a discussion between and among practitioners and researchers from the Global South and Global North about the title question, i.e. what research offers to development NGOs and vice versa, as well as how the co-production of new knowledge can be strengthened and made more effective to tackle global development challenges.

Panelists (in alphabetical order):

• Joseph Ayamga, Country Director, SEND Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone
• Prof. Dr. Katja Bender, Professor of Economics, International Centre for Sustainable Development, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Germany
• Dr. Stefan Cibian, Executive Director, Făgăraș Research Institute, Center for Global Affairs and Postdevelopment, Romania
• Priyanshu Krishnamoorthi, Academic Fellow, UN System Staff College, Germany
• Elizabeth Maloba, International Cooperation Advisor, Kenya
• Antje Monshausen, Head of Economic Development and Sustainability Unit, Policy Department, Brot für die Welt, Germany
• Sanjana Rajasekar, Junior Researcher, Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany

• Facilitator: Dr. Sebastian Heinen, Research Fellow Economic Development, International Centre for Sustainable Development, Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Please register for the workshop at least 5 days before the workshop starts.