About the Alliance

The DFAT CSIRO Research for Development Alliance was a strategic partnership that aimed to improve the impact of aid. It was established in 2007 and was completed in 2014.

The Alliance aimed to tackle important development challenges in the Asia-Pacific region through improved knowledge of climate, water and energy systems and by better understanding people’s vulnerabilities and options to adapt and manage their natural environment.

Countries in the Asia and Pacific regions face daunting environmental pressures that threaten economic growth and poverty reduction. Foremost of these challenges are managing the adverse impacts of development, escalating demand for natural resources, and climate change. Many of these challenges are issues where applied research can play a significant role, both in addressing urgent issues around supporting the delivery of aid and in ensuring that longer-term needs can also be met through strategic investments.

This DFAT CSIRO partnership provided an opportunity to introduce approaches to international aid delivery that better respond to the relationship between poverty and the environment. Alliance projects achieved impact through influencing DFAT’s development policies, investments and projects, as well as informing international stakeholder policies and decisions.

Alliance Projects

Alliance projects were delivered in two phases:

Scoping Projects:

In the first phase of the Alliance a suite of 8 small Scoping Projects were jointly commissioned by AusAID and CSIRO in June 2008. The projects were completed during 2008–2009. Through the research process and products they demonstrated the science CSIRO can deliver, and enabled organisational relationships to develop and inform future Alliance projects.

Research Projects

In 2010, building on the learnings obtained from the initial scoping projects, 5 large-scale multi-sectoral projects were designed through a participatory process with CSIRO, AusAID (now DFAT) and international stakeholders. The projects were completed in 2014.