Knowledge for Development

Introduction by Gerd Hanne Fosen, Head of Section for Education, Norad (5 min)
Comments on the road towards SDG4 by Dankert Vedeler, Ministry of Education
Comments on Norway’s International Commitment to Education by Kari Hauge Riisøen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Project presentations (8 NORHED projects, 5 min each) on:

1) Partners involved, main purpose and goal
2) Current status and results to date
3) Challenges and success stories

Discussion theme 1: Looking inward: NORHED programme design

What are best practices that have helped projects move forward and progress towards their goals? What are elements in the NORHED programme design that projects have found challenging, for example in terms of project management or programme structure? What are practices or routines established through NORHED that have had or might have an uptake in other research projects or the institutions as a whole?

The session continues after lunch.

Welcome and Introductions, Signe Marie Breivik – Programme Manager, Norad


Introduction to Thematic Issues in Health, Austen Davis – Senior Advisor on Global Health, Norad

Project Presentations (11 x 5 mins) Principle Investigators

Participlan* (facilitated by Sabiha Essack)
1. Relationships/Commonalities across projects
2. Relevance to SDGs
3. Alignment to International/Norwegian Initiatives and Global/Regional Health Priorities

*Participants will capture as many points/ideas/concepts related to each of the 3 aspects on post-it notes ensuring that each post-it contains 1 point/idea/concept only. These will be pasted onto charts from which themes will be determined.

The session continues after lunch.

International development goals of relevance to natural resource management, climate and environment; The Paris Agreement, the SDG’s and the Norwegian ambitions. By Director Tale Kvalvaag, Norad

What are the challenges of mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, and how can academia contribute?
- Reflections from a region in Asia: Professor Roshan Man Bajracharya, Kathmandu University, Nepal
- Reflections from a region in Africa: Assistant professor Dr. Mesfin Tilahun Gelaye, Mekelle University, Ethiopia (Postdoctoral Research Fellow NMBU)

Open discussions followed by a short break

Roundtable discussions: 

Three roundtables
1) Climate and environment (7 projects)
2) Food and agriculture (6 projects)
3) Water (2 projects)

Project presentations and discussions: How can NORHED contribute to fulfill international ambitions and national needs? How do NORHED projects work with gender mainstreaming?

Introductory remark by Sarah Lister, Director, UNDP Oslo Governance Center: Governance and the SDGs 2016.

5 minute presentations by projects, focusing on:

a. How is the project contributing to the overall objectives of the NORHED programme and the SDG agenda?
b. What are the key research-based findings so far, and what are the specific policy implications?
c What are the interim lessons learnt in terms of project management and dealing with risks and uncertainty?

Plenary discussion, including comments from Marit Strand and Hans Inge Corneliussen, Senior Advisers, Section for Development Strategy and Governance, Norad

Introduction by Jeanette da Silva (NORHED project officer, Norad) (5 min)

Project presentations (6 NORHED projects, 5 min each) on:

1) Partners involved, main focus and project goal
2) Current status and results to date
3) Challenges and success stories

Comments on the linkages of the project portfolio to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Norwegian development policy and international Human Rights policy, by Ivar Evensmo, Senior Adviser, Section for Human Rights and Gender Equality, Norad.

Discussion theme 1:  The relevance of humanities and social sciences in relation to the SDGs and the improvement of livelihoods for marginalized and disadvantaged people.

In what way does research in humanities and social sciences feed into the SDG agenda? How can the NORHED projects contribute to the global discourse on equality, inclusion, communication and rights? What are the challenges specifically related to post conflict and fragile states in this context?

Discussants: Linguistics project, Building Capacity for a changing media environment in Uganda project and the Intercultural Communication project.
Facilitator: Prof. Munzoul Assal, University of Khartoum

Discussions continues: 

Discussion theme 2: Looking outward: Collaboration and joint publications between NORHED projects and with other initiatives

What could be some linkages and synergies between the projects, and are there potential for joint research groups or publications? What could be opportunities or challenges of such collaboration? What other Norwegian, regional or global initiatives do the projects see a possibility of partnership with?

Discussion theme 3: Looking forward: Evaluation, sustainability, and impact of NORHED projects

In what way can the NORHED projects feed into the SDG agenda and contribute to the global work on education for all? How can one evaluate the success and impacts of the NORHED projects, and what might be some inputs to the NORHED evaluation in 2017? How can project activities and programmes be sustainable after NORHED funding is complete?

Preliminary Themes, Sabiha Essack and Lyn Middleton


Fishbowl Discussion on Emerging Themes All (facilitated by Sabiha Essack)

Concluding Remarks, Austen Davis

Envisaged Outcomes:

To ascertain:
1. Commonalities across projects
2. Relevance to SDGs
3. Alignment with other international/Norwegian initiatives and global health priorities

Roundtable discussions (cont.)

Three roundtables
1) Climate and environment (7 projects)
2) Food and agriculture (6 projects)
3) Water (2 projects)

Project presentations and discussions: How can NORHED contribute to fulfill international ambitions and national needs? How do NORHED projects work with gender mainstreaming?

Summing up (plenary Natural resource management, climate and environment)

Continued plenary discussion on:

a. Strategies adopted for strengthening institutional capacity and addressing implementation challenges
b. Lessons on research and networking that can benefit NORHED as well as project partners 
c. Sustainability of the projects/collaboration in a longer term perspective and how cooperation on higher education can be extended across regions/continents

Discussion theme 2: Publishing research on equality, inclusion, communication and rights.

What is the current research on the specific areas covered by the projects? Are the NORHED projects in line with other international research on the specific themes, and what can they add to this? How do the projects go about getting their research published? What other avenues for dissemination of research are available locally and internationally? How can we pro-actively promote research coming out of the NORHED projects? How can we increase the uptake/influence of the knowledge production/research findings by local communities, civil society, private sector, and policy makers at local/national/regional level?

Discussants: Borderland project, Urbanization project, and Media in Post-Conflict societies.
Facilitator: Prof. Monica Chibita, Uganda Christian University

Discussion theme 3: Opportunities for extended collaboration and joint publications across the projects.

What are the commonalities and linkages between the projects, and could these be combined into cross disciplinary research and publications? What opportunities for research mentorship exist across the projects and how can we optimize these?

Programme related issues including project management challenges, sustainability, structural programme challenges, inputs to the evaluation in 2017 and NORHED phase II/new calls.
Facilitator: Prof. Roy Krøvel, Oslo and Akershus University College