Monitoring and Measuring Impact of Capacity Strengthening

Monitoring and Measuring Impact of Capacity Strengthening

At the Centre for Capacity Research, we ‘embed’ learning within research capacity strengthening programmes to understand more about the process and how to improve outcomes. We are able to provide real-time anonymised feedback for funders and implementers to improve the design and implementation of research capacity strengthening programmes and maximise their effectiveness.  

We are pioneers in innovative methods and concepts to track the effect of interventions to strengthen individuals’ research skills and institutions’ research systems and have developed evaluation frameworks and indicators to measure outcomes and impact. Our methods, tools and concepts have been used by researchers, project managers and funders’ schemes and have positively influenced the design and evaluation of research capacity strengthening programmes.

Specialist support we can provide to funders, researchers and research managers to make capacity strengthening more impactful includes:

  • Advice on evidence-informed design of capacity strengthening components of projects (for researchers) and schemes (for funders) including strategies for sustainability and legacy
  • Advice on how to evaluate  research capacity strengthening programmes, including  how to measure and monitor outputs, outcomes and impact across the whole research system
  • Conducting high-quality research to develop bespoke, effective and durable indicators for measuring and monitoring outputs, outcomes and impact of  research capacity strengthening programmes   
  • Evaluating if the intended outcomes of a research capacity strengthening programme have been achieved and if it is on a trajectory to achieve impact (e.g. using a pathway of change)
  • Mixed methods research to embed learning about research management within science and health programmes, including capturing unintended consequences across the whole research system

Selected Publications

Abomo P, Miaka E.M, Crossman S.J, Hope A. Demonstrating the sustainability of capacity strengthening amidst COVID-19, International Health (2021), ihab004 

Begg S, Wright A, Small G et al. Ripple effects of research capacity strengthening: a study of the effects of a project to support test facilities in three African countries towards Good Laboratory Practice certification [version 2; peer review: 3 approved, 1 not approved]. Gates Open Res 2021, 4:175

Pulford J, Price N, Amegee Quach J and Bates I. Measuring the outcome and impact of research capacity strengthening initiatives: A review of indicators used or described in the published and grey literature [version 1; peer review: 4 approved]. F1000Research (2020), 9:517

Khisa AM, Gitau E, Pulford J and Bates I. A Framework and Indicators to Improve Research Capacity Strengthening Evaluation Practice. (2019) Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Centre for Capacity Research and African Population and Health Research Centre

Khisa AM, Gitau E, Pulford J and Bates I. Practical guidance for improving evaluations of research capacity strengthening programmes (2019) Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Centre for Capacity Research and African Population and Health Research Centre

Bates I. Designing and measuring the progress and impact of health research capacity strengthening initiatives. BMC Proc. (2015);9 (Suppl 10): S9

Cole DC, Aslanyan G, Dunn A, Boyd A and Bates I. Dilemmas of evaluation: health research capacity initiatives. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, (2014) Vol 92, Issue 12, pp. 920-921.

Cole DC, Boyd A, Aslanyan G and Bates I Indicators for tracking programmes to strengthen health research capacity in lower- and middle-income countries: a qualitative synthesis. Health Research Policy and Systems (2014) Vol 12, Issue 1, p. 17

Boyd A, Cole DC, Cho D, Aslanyan G, and Bates I. Frameworks for evaluating health research capacity strengthening: a qualitative study (2013) Health Research Policy and Systems, Vol 11, e46.

Cole DC, Kakuma R, Fonn S, Izugbara C, Thorogood M and Bates I Evaluations of health research capacity strengthening: a review of the evidence. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2012)  Vol 87, Issue 5 Sup, p. 242.

Bates I, Phillips R, Martin-Peprah R, Kibiki G, Gaye O, Phiri K, Tagbor H, Purnell S. Assessing and strengthening african universities' capacity for doctoral programmes. PLoS Medicine (2011) Vol 8, Issue 9, e1001068.

Related projects

Further resources

The team