Understanding and advancing how evidence can be used to inform decisions to improve people’s lives is a crucial priority for IDS.
IDS works to link inclusive research, learning and practices with the demand for evidence from governments, donors, international development agencies and civil society. Our research for stronger and more equitable knowledge systems as well as our work to improve the evaluation of impact in ways that are equity oriented and complexity aware is helping to increase understanding of how change really happens.
We pay close attention to the political, economic and social determinants of evidence use and work closely with our partners to mobilise knowledge for relevant and timely action.
How can external funders better support civil society networks?
21 April 2026
Centre for Development Impact
A community of practice that works to broaden the range of evaluation designs and methods and ways of assessing what quality and rigour means when working in conditions of complexity.
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Knowledge, Evidence and Learning for Development and Diplomacy
Supporting the use of learning and evidence to improve the impact of development and diplomacy policy and programmes.
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HeatNexus: Advancing Global Research in Heat Adaptation Interventions
Support to nine Wellcome-funded research projects on heat adaptation in low- or middle-income countries, assisting on knowledge translation, research synthesis and learning.
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Thematic support to the Peace Governance and Equality section of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Providing support for the Peace Governance and Equality (PGE) section of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), including support on knowledge management and learning, capacity building, operational support and advice.
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Pathways to impactful and equitable partnerships in Research for Development
A project seeking to contribute to the reform of the research for development system through a co-produced process of articulating an agenda for change and fostering a community of open dialogue amongst key actors.
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Global Learning Partner to Healthy Cities for Adolescents Programme – Phase II
In this project, IDS acts as the Global Learning Partner for the Healthy Cities for Adolescents programme (HCA-II), Fondation Botnar’s flagship initiative to create cities fit for young people.
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Clean Energy for Development: Knowledge Translation and Support
Providing 12 clean energy research projects, funded through IDRC’s Clean Energy for Development: A Call to Action (“CEDCA”) initiative, with knowledge translation and communications support.
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Education Out Loud
IDS is a Global Learning Partner for Education Out Loud (EOL), a fund that supports civil society to influence education policy and hold governments accountable.
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Find out more about our work in evidence into use.
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Meaningful participation, complexity-aware practice and methodological bricolage can go hand in hand in your MEL design. Choosing an Inclusive Rigour approach enables evaluations that generate deeper insights, foster real-time learning, and strengthen trust— all the while enhancing quality. If you are…
July 2026
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June 2026
Theories of change are at a crossroads. They are both growing in use, and their value is increasingly questioned as meeting the challenges of the moment. Building on debates hosted by the Foreign, Commonwealth &…
May 2026
Shafqat Choudhury, MA Governance, Development and Public Policy (class of 2025–26), joined the Institute of Development Studies after working in economic policy and development finance. In this blog, he reflects on how his time at…
April 2026