Expectations for knowledge utilisation and evaluation

Based on the Norwegian National Budget (Prop. 1 S (2022-2023)), the most recent Allocation Letter to Norad from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Norad's strategy, the attached memo explains what kind of knowledge utilisation Norad expects from our partners and how knowledge generation and evaluation can be funded.

Below we outline changes Norad is making in calls for proposals and, consequently, in the assessment of proposals and what we will include as part of the assessment of our partners’ systems going forward.

Changes include that Norad will:

1. clarify the formal requirements for a knowledge base in applications.
2. expect applicants to capture knowledge to a greater extent during the grant agreement period and to prioritize evaluations of high professional quality.
3. allow funding of strategically important evaluations and knowledge initiatives as part of grant agreements.

The attached memo includes a detailed description of the changes we make, generally structured according to the three points mentioned above. The memo also includes an appendix with new guidelines on the use of cost analysis in impact evaluations.