We transform the knowledge, action and leadership needed for more equitable and sustainable development globally, through our world-class research, learning and teaching.
Over the last fifty years, we have worked with governments, philanthropic foundations, academic institutions and civil society organisations to transform approaches to progressive social, political and economic change. Here are some of our stories of change:
Amid international responses to conflict, disease or disaster, there is a growing call to pay more heed to local perspectives. Whether this means considering local customs including burial practices during an epidemic such as Ebola or the wellbeing of refugees, the underlying concept is that...
21 June 2019
The STEPS Centre, co-hosted by IDS and the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex, has been awarded another four years of ‘transition funding’ in recognition of the value and impact of its work in helping to shape climate and sustainability policy processes. Read...
1 August 2018
Antimicrobial resistance and universal health coverage both dominate global health debates but far too little attention is paid to the links between them. IDS’ Health and Nutrition cluster is making influential contributions to integrate the two agendas, globally and regionally, through...
1 August 2018
IDS is committed to putting research evidence at the heart of efforts to influence policy and practice. In 2017, this commitment could be seen in IDS’ active membership of the Global Coalition to End Child Poverty and in the impacts that followed. Read Annual Review Through partnership...
1 August 2018
In July 2017, for the sixth consecutive year, we ran our Transform Nutrition: Ideas, Policies and Outcomes short course. Over the past year, the course and the growing global network around it have helped to build participants’ capacity and ability to influence change. Read Annual...
1 August 2018
IDS leads the consortium implementing the Knowledge for Development (K4D) programme, which provides a rapid response research synthesis helpdesk service, as well as learning support (through activities and products) for several hundred professional advisers at DFID. Read Annual...
1 August 2018
IDS has produced vital new evidence to show how land property rights could be an effective policy tool in the fight against illicit crop production in Colombia, one of the world’s largest producers of coca. Read Annual Review The evidence has implications for policy in developing...
1 August 2018
The Centre for Rising Powers and Global Development (CRPD) at IDS is a well-renowned source of expertise on South– South cooperation for addressing global challenges. Its ongoing contributions to high-level policymaking have led to the centre being asked to join the influential Think20 Africa...
1 August 2018
Millions of people in the developing world currently suffer the consequences of inadequate or no sanitation and poor hygiene. It’s a situation targeted by one of the Sustainable Development Goals, and is particularly prevalent in India – making it a focus for IDS’s Community-Led Total...
1 August 2018
Impact Achieved The Participate Initiative has achieved impact both in relation to contributing to policy decision-making and in shaping debates and discussions about what should be included in the SDG framework and how it should be implemented and monitored. Through a targeted influencing...
1 August 2017
Impact Summary The Ebola epidemic that began in the Guinea-Sierra Leone-Liberia border region in December 2013 spread fast through the villages, cities and trade routes of this highly-peopled, economically unequal region. The initial international response by donor and humanitarian agencies...
1 June 2017
IDS's Kelly Shephard reflects on a major IDS-led knowledge sharing programme that has shed light on barriers to organisations' engagement with Open Knowledge approaches.
27 June 2016