Research, evidence, and the global innovation ecosystem : a performance evaluation of the use and utility of the higher education solutions network to solve development challenges

It also supports countries on their journey to self-reliance (USAID 2018), as higher education institutions (HEIs) play a critical role by spurring innovations to solve global development problems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). USAID launched the Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) program in 2012 to strengthen the role of HEIs in development. Since its founding, HESN has invested $115 million in eight HESN Development Labs in universities throughout the United States and in Africa. These funds build lasting partnerships between HEIs and diverse stakeholders in LMICs, which allows them to finance workshops and learning events, produce high-quality data sets and new methodologies, and carry out a broad array of research. USAID commissioned this evaluation to help stakeholders understand (1) the conditions and models that generate effective partnerships with USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices (MBIOs); (2) how HESN worked to improve the use of research findings; and (3) their potential LMIC policy impacts. The mixed-methods performance evaluation uses survey, bibliometric, administrative, interview, and focus group data to examine the use and utility of the core- and buy-in-funded activities to USAID and its development partners. The evaluation shows that the eight HESN Development Labs played a vital role in achieving HESN’s goals in collaboration with USAID, policymakers, and other partners. HESN-supported researchers and development practitioners created more than 900 products and technologies that address poverty-related challenges in communities worldwide. The HESN Development Labs developed 291 data sets or data-related technologies, engaged more than 1,200 partners in 83 countries, and directly affected 7.1 million beneficiaries across 35 countries. The evaluation results show that HESN activities funded through core investments from USAID tended to generate products that were more useful to a public audience (for example, data sets shared and reused by other researchers). In contrast, activities funded directly by MBIOs (“buy-in activities”) were most useful in meeting the strategic goals of specific countries . Pr oducts supported using a hybrid of core and buy-in funding often led to follow-on work for the HESN Development Labs. Because they served a broader audience, these products also tended to be more cost-efficient. Recommendations from the evaluation suggest that USAID (1) link U.S. government-funded research and innovation activities to USAID country development strategies, (2) maintain flexible scopes of work that allow for cross-sectoral research, (3) continue investing in technology and evidence-based research and innovation, and (4) continue to use a combination of core- and buy-in-funded activities to meet the Agency’s research objectives. The cost-efficiency results also suggest that investments in universities located in LMICs may obtain the best value for money for research and innovation projects.