Type of Position: Consultancy Contract

Start Date: 01 Aug 2024

End Date : 01 December 2024

Deadline for applications: 02 July 2024, 17:00 (CET)

Background

The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) is a consortium of research institutes with the general mission of improving food production and contributing to sustainable development in lower- and middle-income countries. The consortium has been active for about 50 years, and there are currently 13 affiliated research institutes, although membership fluctuates over the years.

The CGIAR conducts high quality research, and aims to create impact through innovation, capacity development, and policy influence. Innovation includes both the generation of new knowledge, and the creation of scalable products which can be applied by other stakeholders. The generation of knowledge, how it is used, and how it influences further narratives or events is somewhat neglected in impact assessment studies.

Objective

The objective of this work is to appraise the CGIAR’s influence on the agricultural research narrative and agenda. The CGIAR’s scientists publish heavily in peer-reviewed journals, and hence their scientific output is amenable to bibliometric study. Creation of knowledge is an important impact pathway for the CGIAR, however the net impact is poorly documented and understood by the organisation. High-level analysis of CGIAR impacts has typically focused on economic returns from CGIAR’s technical advancements (e.g. Fuglie et al 2024; Alston et al 2021). This work should focus on the degree to which CGIAR research influences further research, knowledge creation, or, in some cases, how the research is used.

This work will be commissioned by the CGIAR’s Portfolio Performance Unit (PPU), which is tasked with monitoring and providing evidence for the net outcomes of CGIAR’s work. Creation of knowledge and influence on discourse is one route by which to track the CGIAR’s influence.

Scope of Work

The main phases of the work are described below. The work should be conducted in close communication with the PPU, and decisions will be taken jointly.

1. Define and describe CGIAR’s research output

• Define the criteria for inclusion in the study. For example, a study must be published in a credible peer reviewed journal, between the years 2000 and 2020, and at least one author should be affiliated to a CGIAR institute at the time of publication.
• Define descriptive variables to use to describe the publications. These would include the broad topic of the publication, which could be drawn from the journal classification (e.g. crop science, agricultural economics); and the specific theme or issue addressed, which could be drawn from key word analysis (e.g. drought tolerance, climate smart agriculture). Other common bibliometric measures should also be included – some will be described below.
• Compile and describe the research output, communicate findings to PPU. The main question this analysis should answer is “on what topics has CGIAR published, and how much”. A temporal summary should be included.

2. Analyse the influence of CGIAR’s research output

• Define various metrics by which to assess the influence and use of CGIAR research output. These may include: citation scores, citations across topics and themes, integration index, the timing of publications in relation to the quantity of other publications on that topic (leading or lagging), disruption index, and others.
• May also explore use of CGIAR research publications outside of academic literature – for example citations in policy documents, grey literature documents from major multi-lateral organisations, or use in patents.
• Define meaningful comparisons to draw in order to benchmark the degree of influence. These may include analysis against similar works (e.g. citation percentile within a specific topic), comparison against similar organisations, or impact per scientist.
• Analysis might be conducted on the entirety of the study frame observations, it might be split according to topic and theme, and/or a deeper dive into the most influential (top ~10%) of publications.
• Once parameters are agreed and tested, then conduct the analysis, and communicate findings. The main question this analysis should answer is “how influential has CGIAR’s research output been”.

3. Explore the roles of CGIAR plays along the “research-to-development continuum”

• One of the underlying premises of the CGIAR’s work, is that there is a continuum from fundamental research, through applied research, on to diffusion and scaling, and then wide-spread development impact. In order to achieve this, international partnerships and capacity development of emerging talent are both key. The purpose of this section of analysis will be to explore if there is bibliometric evidence that the CGAIR has made specific contributions along this pathway.
• It may be possible to allocate publications into the bins described above along the research-to-develop continuum, and conduct some analysis.
• One issue to investigate is the hypothesised role of CGIAR as a “knowledge broker”, working as an intermediary between world-leading advanced research organisations and national and sub-national institutions in lower- and middle-income countries. Analysis of the organisations to which co-authors are affiliated may be used to investigate this hypothesis.
• Another issue is the inclusivity or authorship teams – for example if they tend to be international, inter-disciplinary, of mixed gender and career stage. This can inform on the extent to which research practices are accessible to emerging talent or under-represented groups.
• Once parameters are agreed and tested, then conduct the analysis, and communicate findings. The main question this analysis should answer is “where does CGIAR contribute most along the research-to-develop continuum”.

4. Final Deliverable

A final report, supporting database, and if appropriate analysis code and powerpoint slides, should be submitted. This should include records of the decisions made, descriptions of metrics, an overview of the database, and the results of the enquiries, including tables and visualisations as appropriate. It does not need to discuss the results in relation to CGIAR’s strategy or objectives. The report will be further developed by PPU for open publication.

Timelines

The final report shall be submitted four months after signing of the contract. The final submission of deliverables must not exceed the end of December 2024. Regular meetings will be held with PPU representatives, on at least a monthly basis, and more frequently as required.

Requirements

Qualifications

The ideal consultant should possess:

1. A proven track record in conducting bibliometric studies, particularly in appraising a large organisation’s portfolio of work.
2. Access to, and knowledge of, appropriate literature databases and bibliometric measures.
3. Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) in English language, and willingness to iteratively develop the precise details of the work.

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit a brief proposal as to how they would address the terms of reference, a financial proposal for the work to be undertaken, and submit their CVs and/or demonstration of relevant expertise and experience.

Benefits

CGIAR is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-colour, multi-generational, and multi-disciplinary, collegial working environment, with a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and flexible working arrangements. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.