Research for Development practice is a broad and evolving domain. Investments to assist vulnerable communities in developing countries adapt to global changes, such as globalised markets, population growth and climate, are typically complex. This is particularly true for the R4D Alliance where our research efforts across six major multi-year projects focused on global development challenges related to: climate; water resources; sustainable cities; and food security. Projects were designed and operated with multiple partners, e.g. planning agencies, emergency services, primary industries, at multiple scales, local, provincial, national and global, and over three to four years.

We reviewed learnings from across the projects, including an analysis of the structure and organisation of R4D partnerships. These practical learnings will support the development of improved guidance and protocols for future R4D investment; and also aid CSIRO and our partners to design, conduct and evaluate future R4D programs through a better-informed approach to project structure and design.