Four researchers from the Pulte Institute recently presented at USAID's Higher Education Global Evidence Summit, which aims to improve higher education systems’ support of socio-economic development worldwide by focusing on three themes: Innovation, Employability, and Private Sector Engagement.
The inaugural summit, which ran from May 3-18, assembled over 160 academics, researchers, donors, and practitioners to present new research and showcase promising practices to attendees from just under 50 countries.
Researchers from Notre Dame’s Pulte Institute showcased their findings and practices in the following presentations during the first week of the summit, which focused on innovation:
Embedded Research Translation: An Innovative Model for Collaborative Research Impact
Juan Posada-Burbano, Project Manager at the University of Notre Dame and member of LASER PULSE (Long-term Assistance and Services for Research Partners for University-Led Solutions Engine), and his team presented their research from a rapid literature review on approaches to research translation. Additionally, they showcased LASER PULSE’s Embedded Research Translation (ERT) model and discussed with a panel of researchers who have implemented the model for collaborative international development research.
Research to Practice: How Investments in HEIs Support Innovation and Development
Lila Khatiwada presents research about the Partnerships for
the Enhanced Engagement in Research program.
Danice Guzmán, Associate Director of the Pulte Institute’s Evidence and Learning Division, and Lila Khatiwada, Senior Research Associate in the Pulte Institute’s Evidence and Learning Division, and their team presented research on the long-term impacts of USAID’s investments in higher education. They shared long-term retrospective evaluations of the Partnerships for the Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) and Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) programs, highlighting the effectiveness of research translation for communities and policy-makers.
Assessing HEI-led Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Pilot Testing in Four Countries
Elizabeth Dolan, Research Associate for the Pulte Institute’s Innovation and Practice Division, and her team presented the process and preliminary results of diagnostic approaches assessing the performance and abilities of “local innovation ecosystems” supported by higher education institutions in Guatemala, Kenya, Indonesia, and the Philippines. This research supports USAID’s priority of improving the effectiveness of measuring the development of innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems at a local level.
“We’re…really hopeful that these innovations can continue and that they can continue to help support USAID in their aim to achieve development impact.” -Danice Guzman
At the summit’s conclusion, USAID representatives launched the Higher Education Learning Network (HELN), an initiative to unite stakeholders from many sectors in improving higher education’s support for sustainable global development.
Click here to learn more about these presentations and the remainder of the summit.