In the short period that it has been operative, it has also begun to innovate in useful ways on traditional models of public research funding – particularly through the promotion of interdisciplinary work on complex development challenges, such as non-communicable diseases and forced displacement. It has drawn on well-established mechanisms for identifying research excellence and adapted them to the requirements of Official Development Assistance (ODA). The GCRF is a welcome increase in the UK’s ambition in development-oriented research. Rapid progress, but challenges remainĪ potentially important contribution to global development challenges: There are many pressing global development challenges that are under-researched and poorly evidenced. The four UK Higher Education Funding Councils for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also receive GCRF funding, which they allocate to research institutions based on the overall quality of their research. So far a total of £476 million has been allocated towards these two Collective Funds. The Collective Funds accept joint bids from all the Research Councils or all the Academies, thus bringing together different academic disciplines to tackle particular development challenges. Most of the remaining ‘unallocated pot’ of £691 million is placed in two ‘Collective Funds’ – one for the Research Councils and one for the Academies. The largest share of the funding is given to them individually as annual allocations, from which they award grants onwards to research institutions, industry or non-profit organisations (individually or in consortia) through a competitive process. These delivery partners receive funding from the GCRF in two ways. The GCRF falls under the authority of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and works primarily through the UK’s Research Councils, National Academies and the UK Space Agency. The Fund also aims to strengthen research capacity in developing countries through research partnerships with UK institutions. Its approach to global challenges is described as “solutions focused” and “challenge-led”. Within this remit, the Fund has two ambitions: 1) to promote UK research excellence, ensuring that “UK science takes the lead in addressing the problems faced by developing countries” and 2) to address global development challenges by generating “innovative solutions to intractable development issues”. Overview of the Global Challenges Research FundĪs an aid-funded instrument, the GCRF must have as its primary objective the promotion of the development and welfare of developing countries. We examine the evidence to date and comment on issues of concern, but do not draw final conclusions on performance or impact. We have conducted a rapid review of its emerging structures and processes, to assess whether they are strong enough to ensure a relevant and effective development research portfolio that provides value for money.Īn ICAI rapid review is a short, real-time review of an emerging issue or area of UK aid spending that is of particular interest to the UK parliament and public. The GCRF has been established rapidly over the past 15 months and continues to evolve. With a budget of £1.5 billion from 2016 to 2021, it marks a significant increase in UK government funding for development research. It aims to ensure that “UK research takes a leading role in addressing the problems faced by developing countries” and to “harness the expertise of the UK’s world-leading research base to strengthen resilience and response to crisis” in developing countries. In November 2015, the government announced a new funding mechanism for research on international development, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). Global Challenges Research Fund Executive Summary
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