GDI academics awarded over £350,000 to lead three strategic networks

11 Jan 2017

The networks will see the academics collaborating with partners to produce innovative and ground-breaking research

Three academics from the Global Development Institute have been awarded over £350,000 to lead three new strategic networks.

Professor Richard Heeks and Dr Admos Chimhowu have been awarded funding as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The fund aims to bring together novel combinations of perspectives to identify key areas for future research, inform thinking on how these might be addressed, and build the capacities and relationships required to support this. In addition, Professor Diana Mitlin was awarded an International Network Grant by the Leverhulme Trust. Each will serve as the Academic Lead for their network, which will bring together various partners to carry out innovative research.

Dr Admos Chimhowu will lead the Strategic Network on ‘New National Planning for Sustainable Development in the Global South’ which has been awarded £130,000 by the GCRF. The network will address ‘new national planning’ and its role in helping governments achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals agreed in September 2015.

The network led by Professor Richard Heeks also received £129,000 from the GCRF. The ‘Development Implications of Digital Economies (DIODE)’network will look at the growth of digital technologies in the developing world and their impact upon work and businesses. It will seek to find out what is going on and how it impacts upon development. Additionally, it will look at how governments, NGOs and businesses can help to create an effective "digital ecosystem" that works for the benefit of all. From this the network will aim to identify a future research agenda and develop specific research proposals that address identified research priorities.

Diana Mitlin will lead on a network looking at ‘Achieving Inclusive Cities through Scaling up Participatory Planning in Africa’. The network was awarded £120,000 by the Leverhulme Trust and will bring together civil society action-research agencies and academic departments in three sub-Saharan African countries and at Manchester, including the Global Urban Research Centre.

Executive Director of the GDI, Professor David Hulme commented “It is great to see three projects, which are being led by GDI academics, receiving GCRF and Leverhulme funding. This funding shows the importance of the research being carried out at the GDI. Congratulations to all involved.”