Introduction

p. 7-8


Texte intégral

1Describing and understanding the mechanisms by which research produces results, how it produces effects – and identifying them – is a principle that is now becoming more widely-shared. It is fully in line with IRD's strategy regarding the establishment of equitable partnerships with countries in the global South and its commitment to sustainability science. IRD resolved to embark on this journey in late 2016, with the launch of a pilot project on the societal impact of its research in the global South. This project was called: Multidimensional impact analysis of research and resulting innovation on development in the global South (Miriades) There were two main principles that guided the Miriades project: accountability and reflexivity.

2Accountability: As a publicly-funded research institution, IRD is expected to “be accountable” for its research and for its “usefulness.” Understanding the pathways to research impact, and describing that impact, is an essential means of achieving this objective of accountability. It is an expectation that applies with even greater relevance and intensity, for IRD in particular, because it is also expected by the partner institutions of the “global South” with which the institute works. These institutions also call to be provided with information, descriptions, and “evidence” regarding the effects of research involving them.

3Reflexivity: Constructing and documenting research impact pathways immediately requires a reexamination of the basic elements of an IRD researcher's work: were the partnerships entered at the appropriate time? With the right institutions? Do the questions that were asked reflect the partners' concerns? Was the methodology that was used the most appropriate one? Was the impact on media and international discourse commensurate with the investment made? etc. Thus, to study the impact of our research means retracing the approach chosen and measures taken to achieve the specified objectives, showing our long-term process as a precondition for the proper organization of the research conducted in our partnerships.

4The choice made was for a case study analysis method known as ex-post - i.e. after the fact - a method derived from those developed by the Centre for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (Cirad) and the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae) and modified to suit IRD's context. Over the course of the exercise, the method was tested, discussed and adjusted by the methodological group leading this pilot project, so as to best integrate into the approach dimensions of assessment addressing development issues in the global South, the context in which research is conducted, the knowledge produced and disseminated, and the conditions for its appropriation and implementation. Experience shows that this method provides a generic analytical framework suited to the broad spectrum of disciplines and the diversity of thematic fields that characterize IRD's research, consistent with the principles of sustainability sciences.

5The primary aim of this guide is to share the experience and results obtained by the Miriades approach. It then aims to provide methodological and practical support to researchers or groups wishing to undertake a study of the impacts of their work.

6The guide is organized into four parts. The first summarizes the objectives, organization and approach of the Miriades project. The second presents key aspects of the method and their application. The last two parts present the work of the methodological group, integrating feedback from studies conducted during this stage. The third part thus describes the methodology for constructing the impact pathway, which is the method's primary tool used for identifying and characterizing research impacts. The fourth part details the realization of a case study in practice.


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