Exploring research ideas, problems and needs collaboratively is a valuable part of synthesising evidence, and also an opportunity to draw on the expertise of others.

This is a unique feature of the Knowledge for Development and Diplomacy (K4DD) programme, which provides the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with a high-quality and rapid evidence and learning service. It provides FCDO staff with the opportunity to explore their needs with researchers and take advantage of a research helpdesk for rapid evidence reviews, larger (more detailed) reports, and a bespoke learning service.

In this blog, William Avis and Phoebe Hill share their experiences of engaging through K4DD, and how the programme is supporting the day-to-day work in FCDO.

How collaboration with K4DD supports FCDO staff

Phoebe Hill works in the Scholarships, Tertiary Education and Partnerships (STEP) Department of FCDO. She has been working with K4DD since late 2023 on three linked requests. Her latest request was for a rapid evidence review of the role women’s participation in higher education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) plays in the economic and social development of lower- and middle-income countries.

The STEP Department was looking for the most up-to-date evidence, and their staff were keen to draw on available, free-to-use resources, to support our work.

“K4DD represented an exciting opportunity to engage with researchers based in a leading academic institution (in this instance the University of Birmingham) with extensive experience of supporting FCDO through the provision of rapid evidence reviews.

The partnership with William provided an opportunity to outline our research needs and how these feed into our programming. It also provided an opportunity to develop a clear and appropriate research question, defining the scope of evidence required, and clarifying expectations.

The discussion allowed us to test our internal thinking and assumptions with a representative of academia in a safe and constructive environment. It also allowed us to define the scope of the work to be undertaken in a manner that was useful to our day-to-day work”.

This discussion led to the submission of three queries on the following issues:

• Women’s Participation Rates in Higher Education (HE) and TVET: Collating data on women’s participation rates in HE and TVET, alongside indicators of socio-economic development.
• Women’s Participation in TVET and Socio-Economic Development: Providing a synthesis of existing literature on vocational training programmes in the global south and evidence of variation of impacts.
• Women’s Participation in HE and Socio-Economic Development: Providing a synthesis of existing literature on vocational training programmes in the global south and evidence of variation of impacts.

As well as being uploaded to K4DD’s OpenDocs repository for public access, the reports have also been uploaded to FCDO’s internal Centre of Expertise for Education so that numerous teams and posts can benefit from the learning.

How K4DD research supports learning

William Avis is a K4DD Researcher based at the University of Birmingham’s Governance and Social Development Resource Centre (GSDRC), which has extensive experience working with FCDO on rapid evidence reviews.

“The queries submitted by Phoebe dovetailed with my research interests in gender equality and its role in the achievement of sustainable development. The research queries allowed an exploration of factors that shape women’s participation in higher education and TVET, including access to quality education, economic resources, political participation, employment, leadership, and decision-making at all levels.  

Discussions with Phoebe and the STEP Department highlighted that increasing economic opportunities and productivity, while supporting sustainable economic transformation, is considered to be among the most pressing global challenges. Education and training systems, including TVET, were identified as one means to help equip current and future workforces with the skills they need for productive jobs and entrepreneurship”.

The research process highlighted that across the education system at all levels, women and girls are the first to be denied the right to education despite progress made over past decades.

Specifically, reports outlined that TVET systems can be gender-biased, affecting the selection of access to and participation in specific learning programmes or occupations for both men and women. In turn, this gender division of labour contributes to the perpetuation of gender inequalities at work and in society at large and has long-running impacts on socio-economic development.

The benefits of working with K4DD

The K4DD helpdesk service is able to support FCDO colleagues in a flexible and adaptable manner by drawing on the expertise and experiences of skilled and knowledgeable researchers. The team has developed a close-knit, researcher-driven organisational culture that is focused on meeting the needs of users. Phoebe and William reflect that:

“The experience of working collaboratively, constructively, and flexibly, with an emphasis placed on clear, open, collegial communication at all stages of work was fundamental to the success of the research commissions. It allowed the development of a Rapid Evidence Review that supported the use of evidence by the STEPs team in a manner that minimised administrative barriers to the use of the service”

A new service for UK government officials seeking to enhance the Foreign Commonwealth and Diplomacy Office’s (FCDO) work with research and evidence launched in April 2024. James Georgalakis, Director of the Knowledge for Development and Diplomacy (K4DD) programme, explores how K4DD builds on past experiences and offers lessons for those seeking to embed evidence services into government.

Global challenges require evidence of what works

Improving the use of data and evidence in policy and programme design and implementation is crucial to facing the challenges of foreign policy, humanitarian action, economic development, climate change, peacebuilding and global health, education and more. The United Kingdom’s Government has a sophisticated science-to-policy infrastructure, consisting of the Government Office for Science, the Government Chief Scientific Advisor, a network of Ministerial Chief Scientific Advisors, and numerous Science Advisory Councils and Committees.

K4DD is an FCDO-funded evidence and learning service that is free to use for the department’s staff. It’s delivered by a consortium of development and diplomacy knowledge institutions that brings together researchers and thematic leaders across a range of disciplines: The Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the University of Birmingham’s Governance and Social Development Resource Centre, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), and University of Manchester’s Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI). K4DD aims to improve the impact of development and diplomacy policy and programming through learning and evidence uptake. It aims to integrate organisational learning processes with the use of evidence. The service includes a research helpdesk – for rapid evidence reviews and emerging issues reports – and facilitated learning events.

A changing UK aid and diplomacy landscape

FCDO was created in September 2020, and in 2021, the Government published an Integrated Review (IR) setting out the UK’s overarching security and international strategy, combining defence, security, resilience, diplomacy, development and trade, and science and technology policy. The IR set out for the UK to be ‘a science and technology superpower by 2030’. The IR was followed by a new International Development Strategy in 2022 and a White Paper in 2023 which set out the Government’s agenda, prioritising investment partnerships, humanitarian relief, empowerment of women and girls, and commitments to climate change, nature, and global health. There is a strong emphasis on investment in ‘what works’ and science and technological innovations that will support national development priorities.

Strengthening the use of research

In the wake of these new directions, K4DD represents a vital opportunity to further strengthen the FCDO’s use of research and organisational learning around evidence-informed practice. K4DD can significantly contribute to government programme decision-making that, in the long term, will lead to real-world impact. We know that FCDO development and diplomatic decision-makers value quick access to a reliable evidence base and spaces for learning and knowledge sharing that can be utilised to anchor programme design. This directly aligns with our consortium partners’ strategies and values. We are committed to enhancing evidence-informed decision making by the UK Government and seek to champion the use of evidence to promote a safer, healthier and more equitable world.

Our approach reflects our understanding of how the process of getting evidence into use is as much about bridging different ways of knowing, as it is about translating or transferring knowledge from one set of stakeholders to another. Knowledge services, like K4DD, need to be rigorous and of exceptionally high quality, demand-driven and shaped by the needs of their users, whilst also supporting their understanding of what questions to ask and which types of knowledge may be most relevant.

A global pool of expertise

All this builds directly on the legacy of the original Knowledge, Evidence and Learning for Development (K4D) programme and a rapidly expanding range of similar international initiatives. Our consortium is connected to a global pool of expertise via our formal partnerships, existing research consortiums and associate fellows and research partners. This pool covers a broad spectrum of geographies and themes and includes members of several hundred organisations. These are established institutional and individual networked relations that give us direct access to leading thinkers and practitioners. We can mobilise expertise at short notice to support the Helpdesk and learning sessions.

K4DD is a global public resource

Since the inception period began at the end of 2023, K4DD has already produced over 150 rapid evidence reviews for FCDO. We are deeply committed to ensuring the service provides a global public good and most of the content we produce is published externally. This will provide a valuable resource for all those seeking to explore research and evidence relevant to the challenges they face whether related to humanitarian responses, climate change, social protection, global health, education, economic development or international relations.

The world needs many different forms of knowledge to address global challenges. Embedded knowledge service for government is just one approach but it can be a powerful one. We cannot tell decision makers what to do but we can give them the latest and most relevant evidence to inform their decisions.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Knowledge for Development and Diplomacy (K4DD) programme. K4DD is providing the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with knowledge, evidence and learning designed to support development and diplomacy programmes and policies.

K4DD runs a helpdesk service specifically for FCDO, providing rapid evidence reviews, a curated learning service, and bespoke learning products to support the uptake and use of knowledge.

K4DD is a 3.5-year programme, directed by a consortium of six leading development and diplomacy organisations in the UK, which have long standing experience of working closely with UK Government. The consortium is led by the Institute of Development Studies, joined by the University of Birmingham, the Humanitarian and Conflict Research Institute (HCRI), the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

The consortium builds on its experience of running multiple helpdesk services, such as K4D, HEART, GSDRC and more. K4D, which ran from 2016 to 2022, produced over 1,200 rapid evidence reviews, delivered 45 facilitated learning journeys, and saw over 675,000 downloads of its outputs.

James Georgalakis, Director of K4DD and based at the Institute of Development Studies, says:

“We are delighted to be supporting the UK Government with rapid evidence and learning services that will help shape its efforts to address urgent global challenges. This builds on over 25 years of collaboration on innovative knowledge for development services that utilise rapid research synthesis reports and facilitated learning events.

By accessing the latest evidence from across our worldwide network of expertise on climate change, conflict and security, health, education, economics and politics, we will support FCDO in its mission to promote a safer, healthier and fairer world for all.”

K4DD will be sharing all public-facing outputs on the programmes dedicated website, and also on social media including X and LinkedIn. Additionally, you can stay up to date by signing up for our e-newsletter.