Table 1 Framework for evaluating ODA-funded development research programmes

Effectiveness

• Has this funding mechanism changed the research landscape in donor and recipient countries?

• What are the programmatic strengths, weaknesses and avenues for improvement?

• How does the effectiveness of this approach compare to more direct ODA allocations for programmes and services in recipient countries?

• What design elements contribute to, or could increase, its effectiveness?

• Are there any unintended negative consequences associated with this approach?

• Could programme design elements help to avert these unintended negative consequences in the future?

Efficiency

• Is this research funding approach a cost-effective way to make progress on global health and development goals?

• Could the approach be designed to achieve greater value for the money?

• Does this funding approach increase coordination between the research community and policy/development actors?

• Are there any additional strategies that could promote such coordination?

Equity

• Does the programme design promote equitable research partnerships in ODA-receiving countries, and if so, how?

• How can specific rules around data-sharing, intellectual property rights and authorship be designed to increase equity?

• Does the programme design promote sustainable capacity-building in ODA-receiving countries, and if so, how?

• What design elements can support continued capacity-building after the initial funded research is completed?

Political feasibility

• What kind of political support or opposition has the approach encountered in donor countries?

• What programmatic elements have made the approach more or less attractive politically in donor countries?

• How is this research funding mechanism perceived by the development and research communities in ODA-receiving countries?

• What programmatic elements have made the approach more or less attractive in recipient countries?

Management processes

• How are programme priorities set?

• How do different actors and institutions influence the process?

• What is the operational burden of these research programmes?

• How many full-time staff are required to deliver such programmes?