In January 2021, LASER PULSE will issue a Request for Applications (RFA) entitled “Grand Research Challenges for Development” (GRCD) to fund research awards for collaboration between USAID activity (project) implementers and Higher Education Institution researchers in USAID interest countries to work on bottleneck development challenges. Key components for this upcoming RFA are: Linkage to an ongoing...
LASER PULSE would like to make you aware of new online training modules available to network members. These trainings address critical issues in research translation and your participation in them could facilitate enhanced translation of research into practice in your work. You’ll find on LASERPULSE.org, available trainings on: A System Level View of Development Challenges This course aims to...
Researchers and practitioners at Notre Dame, Purdue, and Catholic Relief Services are collaborating with USAID to implement the Agency’s private sector engagement (PSE) evidence and learning plan to enable USAID Missions and Bureaus to incorporate PSE good practices in the future. The principal outcome so far of the 4-year project is an Evidence Gap Map (EGM) –...
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Uganda is partnering with USAID/LAB/Centre for Development Research (CDR) to leverage the expertise of Ugandan universities and researchers to undertake development research that will inform subsequent interventions by USAID/Uganda to strengthen the voices of Uganda’s indigenous peoples. By working with the local universities, the Mission seeks to encourage...
The LASER PULSE consortium conducted key informant interviews with eight Ethiopian practitioners virtually in June and July 2020. Representatives from Catholic Relief Services and The University of Notre Dame were unable to visit Ethiopia due to the pandemic, and instead conducted the interviews via videoconference. The individuals interviewed represented four INGOs, two government institutions, and...
Dear LASER Network Members, There are now more than 1,952 of you, from 54 countries. We thank you for joining our network. Our vision for this virtual space is to provide a community where you can meet up professionally and learn. A kind of mix between Research Gate and Match.com, where you can learn about funding...
Dear LASER PULSE Network Colleagues, We at LASER, like probably all of you, have been working remotely since mid-March. Perhaps for the first time in history, all around the world we have been responding to protect ourselves from a pandemic at the same time and in mostly the same ways. The interconnectedness of the political and...
Earlier this year, the COVID-19 crisis caused the postponement of LASER R4D Workshops in Hanoi, Vietnam and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Indiana University, the lead consortium partner for these events, has been working closely with the LASER team, regional partners, and USAID to re-envision and reschedule these important gatherings. Planning efforts will maintain a careful...
The LASER PULSE Research Translation team is excited to present templates and tools now available to Network Members. These resources are intended to directly support research translation projects by addressing critical areas in knowledge, understanding, and implementation. View the tools below or on our website to see what would be helpful to you in your research translation...
As one of its core activities, the Long-term Assistance and Services for Research (LASER) – Partner University-Led Solutions Engine (PULSE) initiative conducted a research capacity assessment in partner Universities/Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The assessment targeted low and middle-income country institutions. Makerere University, a LASER-PULSE consortium member led this assessment which identified barriers and opportunities to research and...
