Embedded Research Translation model highlighted in the LASER PULSE submission to the 2021 USAID CLA Case Competition

Each year USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planing, and Learning (PPL) holds a Collaborate, Learn, and Adapt (CLA) Case Competition. CLA is an approach to operationalize organizational learning and adaptive management throughout a program cycle. The CLA Case Competition is not a call for traditional development success stories, instead it is an opportunity for programs to reflect on challenges they are facing and apply learning to improve their overall implementation. 

LASER PULSE submitted a case for the 2021 competition, “Using CLA to Design and Operationalize the Embedded Research Translation Model,” focused on our journey of developing a new approach for research translation in international development. In our submission, we reflected on the two challenges facing our program: (1)  designing a model for researchers and practitioners to be systematic and intentional about research translation, and (2) operationalizing the model across our program. 

LASER PULSE recognized the need for CLA in the first two years of our programming. Through internal collaboration, and pause & reflect, we built upon mutual understanding across our consortium to design a research translation model called Embedded Research Translation (ERT). Then through monitoring & evaluation, external collaboration, and leveraging learning into adaptive management, we implemented processes to operationalize ERT. CLA helped to improve our organization effectiveness and development outcomes.

Read the full LASER PULSE 2021 CLA case competition submission here. The 2022 Case Competition is now open with more details here.