Research to Action

The Global Guide to Research Impact

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    This list of how to’s provides an essential guide for a number of key communication and engagement activities that will help make your research travel.

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Looking back, peering forward: our 2025 journey

As 2025 draws to a close, we’d like to take a moment to pause and look back on the past year at...

Why development research needs a new publishing paradigm

The promise of open access once offered a path toward equity in development research. However, as highlighted in a recent INASP policy...

Kathryn Oliver on rethinking evidence use

Back in October, Professor Kathryn Oliver delivered an insightful lecture on one of the big questions in our field. Individuals, organisations, and...

Job Opportunity: Director at the Africa Evidence Network (AEN)

More than a decade ago, a group of people passionate about generating and using evidence in Africa, for Africa, got together over...

Evidence is everybody’s story

In a world drowning in data, the promise of ‘evidence-based practice’ often feels distant. For many, evidence remains something that is done...

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Building a strategy

Metaphors and Maps: The Institute of Economic Growth’s research engagement journey

03/09/2014

IEG Maps and Metaphors Blog Posts

As part of the TTI-PEC Program, IEG (India) focused on responding to three key engagement challenges: organizing research evidence for real-time mobilization; communicating complex economic concepts and ideas in a popular format without diluting the meaning; and building an audience.

Susan Koshy

Building a strategy

A Tale of Three Think Tanks and the TTI PEC Programme

03/09/2014

Blog Posts

As part of the Think Tank Policy Engagement and Communications Programme, Susan Koshy from the Institute of Development Studies and Practical Action Consulting, explores how three South Asian think tanks are redefining existing ways of doing research engagement and communication using an experimental mind-set.

Susan Koshy

Featured

CEDA reaches a wider community through radio

20/08/2014

CEDA reaches a wider community through radio Blog Posts

CEDA highlights one of three radio programmes co-produced with CORAPE and Anaité Vergas. The programmes helped CEDA to influence the wider community to engage in the policy processes, and also enabled CEDA staff to learn how to create policy-related communications in a radio format.

Research to Action

Featured

FOSDEH develops new theory of change to guide strategic planning

20/08/2014

FOSDEH Theory of Change Blog Posts

Honduras think tank FOSDEH has developed an institutional “theory of change” tool to improve their strategic planning in a highly complex and changing context. Theory of change is helping FOSEDH establish clear routes and strategies, identify relevant stakeholders and evaluate the social impact of their interventions.

Ileana Morales

Building a strategy

Fundación ARU: Strategic planning workshop overview

20/08/2014

Fundacion Aru Blog Posts

Bolivian think tank Fundación ARU shares training resources they used in a strategic planning workshop to discuss the institution’s strategic goals, activities and outcomes.

Werner Hernani-Limarino

Building a brand

Organizational image and positioning: A method for audit

20/08/2014

Image positioning Blog Posts

This blog is part of a showcase of exhibits from Latin American think tanks participating in the Think Tank Initiative’s Policy Engagement and Communications (PEC) programme….

Yolanda Talavera

Featured

“The Tipping Point” improves FUSADES research impact

19/08/2014

The Tipping Point Audio & Video

FUSADES has started implementing a stakeholder mapping methodology called “The Tipping Point” (developed by Yolanda Talavera) to map the key stakeholders according to research topics and strategic initiatives.

Rene Hernandez Gonzalez

Featured

Grupo FARO: Facebook facilitates internal communication

19/08/2014

Facebook for internal communications Blog Posts

The PEC Programme facilitated the analysis of internal communication strategies and resulted in the decision of using a Facebook closed group for supporting the organizations’ internal communication.

Karla Armas

Building a strategy

INESAD: A practical guide to fundraising

19/08/2014

Fundraising Blog Posts

This practical guide was developed by Anaité Verdas as part of the PEC programme, to enable INESAD to develop a strategy for fundraising and to reach a greater understanding of the context in which INESAD is operating.

Anaité Vergas

Featured

Instituto Desarrollo: The culture of communication and advocacy at ID

19/08/2014

Organisational change Audio & Video

A six minute video highlighting the change in organisational culture in the Instituto Desarrollo, brought about by participating in the TTI PEC programme.

Elvio Segovia

Evidence into policy

Maximizing the return on investment: Making research matter

18/08/2014

Blog Posts

Earlier this month, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) released a report that seeks to answer a compelling question: Does research drive international development?

Rose Wilcher

Featured

CIPPEC continues building knowledge and capacity on policy influence from the South

18/08/2014

Blog Posts

In this post Natalia Aquilino reflects on CIPPEC’s recent work in support of think tanks, civil society and public officers approach to policy influence – highlighting a series of useful resources produced by CIPPEC.

Natalia Aquilino

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Most Recent Posts

  • Looking back, peering forward: our 2025 journey
  • Why development research needs a new publishing paradigm
  • Kathryn Oliver on rethinking evidence use
  • Job Opportunity: Director at the Africa Evidence Network (AEN)
  • Evidence is everybody’s story

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re pausing to reflect at Research to Action (R2A) ✨

This year, 27,000+ readers from 188 countries joined us in exploring how research can better inform action — reading, sharing, and asking thoughtful questions along the way 🌍📚

Despite a challenging year for international development, our community leaned into conversations about:
📊 Impact and learning
🔄 Knowledge brokering & evidence use
🤖 AI and the future of research

What inspired us most was how you engaged — with curiosity, care, and a commitment to making evidence matter.

✨ Looking ahead, we remain focused on creating space for reflection, learning, and meaningful exchange — together.

Thank you for being part of the journey. Here’s to another year of curiosity and impact 💛

🔗 Link in bio to read our full reflection

#ResearchToAction #EvidenceInPractice #ResearchImpact #KnowledgeSharing #EndOfYearReflection #GlobalCommunity

In our latest blog Inés Arangüena breaks down the Researcher Impact Framework (RIF) — a super practical way to show the real-world impact behind research, not just the publication count.

✨ Why it’s worth a read:
💡 Clearly explain the difference your work makes
📚 Connect outcomes to real evidence + activity
🤝 Highlight impact through collaboration, knowledge sharing & community
📊 Use metrics that actually matter (not just journal impact factors!)

If you’re a researcher, communicator, or anyone trying to share the story behind your work… this framework is a game-changer.

🔗 Link in bio to read the full blog!

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeTranslation #DataDrivenStorytelling #AcademicCommunications #ImpactNarratives Trinity College Dublin

In our latest blog Inés Arangüena breaks down the Researcher Impact Framework (RIF) — a super practical way to show the real-world impact behind research, not just the publication count.

✨ Why it’s worth a read:
💡 Clearly explain the difference your work makes
📚 Connect outcomes to real evidence + activity
🤝 Highlight impact through collaboration, knowledge sharing & community
📊 Use metrics that actually matter (not just journal impact factors!)

If you’re a researcher, communicator, or anyone trying to share the story behind your work… this framework is a game-changer.

🔗 Link in bio to read the full blog!

#ResearchImpact #KnowledgeTranslation #DataDrivenStorytelling #AcademicCommunications #ImpactNarratives Trinity College Dublin

Revisiting a 2022 article by Tebby Leepile this International Week of Science and Peace. It dives into the challenge of scaling implementation science: too big becomes unsustainable, too small makes little impact. 🌍🔬

How do we find the balance that leads to real change?

Full article in linktree just click #R2AArchive 🔗

#ScienceForPeace #InternationalWeekOfScienceAndPeace #ImplementationScience #SustainableDevelopment #ScaleUpImpact  #FromDataToImpact  #InnovationForGood

Revisiting a 2022 article by Tebby Leepile this International Week of Science and Peace. It dives into the challenge of scaling implementation science: too big becomes unsustainable, too small makes little impact. 🌍🔬

How do we find the balance that leads to real change?

Full article in linktree just click #R2AArchive 🔗

#ScienceForPeace #InternationalWeekOfScienceAndPeace #ImplementationScience #SustainableDevelopment #ScaleUpImpact #FromDataToImpact #InnovationForGood


About Us

Research To Action (R2A) is a learning platform for anyone interested in maximising the impact of research and capturing evidence of impact.

The site publishes practical resources on a range of topics including research uptake, communications, policy influence and monitoring and evaluation. It captures the experiences of practitioners and researchers working on these topics and facilitates conversations between this global community through a range of social media platforms.

R2A is produced by a small editorial team, led by CommsConsult. We welcome suggestions for and contributions to the site.

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