Five key trends driving change in research for development

In this report we identify five key trends that will drive change in the research for development landscape over the coming decade, based on interviews and research.

We outline five key trends in this report that will drive the research for development landscape over the coming decade, based on interviews and research. Responding to these trends will require new research agendas, cultures and capacities to enable all countries to respond to their sustainable development challenges.

The trends we identified are:

1. A new global development landscape, with a commitment to science and technology at its heart, but a need for a clear global research agenda to deliver on its broad ambitions.
2. Uneven but rising global investment in research and innovation, leading to changing geographies of partnership and driving calls for southern-led agendas and research management.
3. A fragmented and rapidly changing development landscape with rapid economic development, rising inequality and increasing fragility occurring in different countries, that could lead to tensions in the focus of development research agendas.
4. The potential for transformative innovation through social and technological ideas may drive funding, but avoiding hype and scaling successful ideas are imperative.
5. ‘Wicked’ problems and interdisciplinary research will drive the need for new cultures, but also challenge incentives around excellence and impact.