Six tips for funding impactful research

This guide by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) provides six strategic tips for research funders who use a competitive call model to influence policy, planning, and practice in climate compatible development.

• Funders should clearly define 'impactful research' at the start of a programme, distinguishing between direct, short-term impacts—such as changes to legislation and practices—and indirect, longer-term changes in attitudes or understanding. Different types of impact require different design approaches regarding the target decision-making audience.
• To ensure research is relevant to policy, funders should balance their understanding of academic knowledge with a broad understanding of national and international policy contexts. This involves consulting grey literature and speaking with representatives from policy and practice stakeholder groups to frame research themes and language.
• Funders are encouraged to support diverse consortia that extend beyond traditional academic institutions to include NGOs, think tanks, private companies, and trusted local partners. Selection should prioritize partners with established relationships with target audiences and skills in innovative communications and media engagement.
• Review panels for research calls should include country or context experts, not just technical experts. These experts are necessary to evaluate if the proposed entry points are legitimate and if the correct stakeholders are involved in the project.
• Funders must manage expectations regarding the speed and traceability of impact, as policy development is dynamic. While some projects, like a Heat Action Plan in Ahmedabad, India, show easily traceable results, others—such as contributions to a COP21 national submission—may have outcomes that are difficult to attribute or take years to appear.
• Because research aimed at influencing policy is riskier and more unpredictable than purely academic research, funders must remain flexible during implementation. This allows researchers to adapt to political changes and emerging opportunities, and requires funders to accept and learn from project failures.

APA

Kirbyshire, A., & Roberts, L. (2017). Six tips for funding impactful research. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Six-tips-for-funding-impactful-research-CDKN.pdf

Chicago

Kirbyshire, Amy, and Leo Roberts. Six tips for funding impactful research. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Six-tips-for-funding-impactful-research-CDKN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kirbyshire |first1=Amy |last2=Roberts |first2=Leo |title=Six tips for funding impactful research |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=June 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Six-tips-for-funding-impactful-research-CDKN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kirbyshire2017six, author = {Kirbyshire, Amy and Roberts, Leo}, title = {{Six tips for funding impactful research}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = jun, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Six-tips-for-funding-impactful-research-CDKN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }