CGIAR Research Map for Africa – Improved Access to Information on Agricultural Research Projects
Last Friday I held the first in a serious of many seminars that we are organizing to sensitive CGIAR staff and other partners about the new improved research map.
The seminar was very successful with the ICRAF and hosted intuitions staff coming in large numbers, to try and find out how the map answers these and many other questions;
- How can I find out what research the CG centers are carrying out and where?
- What type of partners are different centers collaborating with?
- How can new scientists be quickly brought up to speed on what has been done and also what opportunities for collaboration exist?
- Where do I find information on research results and other related documentation that will help in the development of new research proposals?
An important note was the need to be able to measure the visibility and benefits of having the projects in the map. As the map continues to grow both in its functions & features and also in its usability we believe that through the direct queries raised to project coordinators, reported collaboration and partnerships we can then be able to measure this.
An interesting question was on the new CGIAR and how mega programmes will be accommodated in the research. At present it is still a little fuzzy for all to clearly state as a matter of fact how these programmes will fit in the map, but as Frank Place (ICRAF) put it ‘The map can provide just the tool that a mega programme could use to show its strategy, what its core activities are and where, who its partners are, what its key outputs are (including data sets), and what outcomes it has achieved’
After the one hour interactive session it was evident that there is a clear need to compile and disseminate outputs and outcomes of the CGIAR as well as share knowledge and information. The research map provides just a unique tool for this!
Stay informed at; http://ongoing-research.cgiar.org/
CGIAR Collective Action 