ACRES develops an Institutional Research Agenda
The Research, Innovation and Evaluation Unit developed the Institutional Research Agenda, a comprehensive 5-year roadmap that outlines ACRES’ research priorities and activities aimed at maximizing its impact in the Evidence-Informed Decision Making (EIDM) field.
The establishment of the Institutional Research Agenda was driven by the need for a clear strategic direction to guide ACRES’ research priorities and activities. This agenda aims to address key gaps and challenges in the EIDM landscape in Uganda, ultimately contributing to the advancement of knowledge and practice in this critical area.
The Institutional Research Agenda emerged from an ongoing cycle of engagement and refinement, involving review of existing literature on EIDM gaps, challenges, and opportunities; key informant interviews and a priority-setting exercise.
The identified key priority areas include;
- Institutionalization
- Application of artificial intelligence in EIDM
- Effective and efficient stakeholder engagements for evidence to policy
- Incorporating data and analytics in EIDM
- Implementing, evaluating and scaling of evidence informed interventions
- Capacity development across the entire EIDM chain, from engagements, to stakeholders identifying needs for evidence, to actual use of the evidence
- Place of indigenous/ local knowledge in EIDM
*****
Empowering Evidence-Informed Decision-Making in Africa: The Digital Evidence Base
ACRES has developed the Digital Evidence Base, an online platform providing easy access to reliable health research and data in Africa. This tool helps decision-makers make informed choices, improving public health outcomes.
In Africa, accessing quality evidence for policy decisions can be challenging. To bridge this gap, ACRES developed the Digital Evidence Base with funding from the B-CuE and Africa LEEPS projects. This platform uses advanced technology to make evidence-based decision-making easier.
The Digital Evidence Base aims to:
- Create a user-friendly digital platform for archiving and retrieving evidence on thematic learning areas.
- Populate the platform with relevant content, including primary studies, evidence synthesis products, and briefs.
- Promote activities that drive traffic towards the platform.
*****
The Living EIDM ToolMap
The Unit developed the The Living EIDM ToolMap, an open-access, web-based repository of digital tools designed to assist policymakers and knowledge brokers to facilitate Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (EIDM). With this ToolMap, users can easily find, search, and add new digital tools that support the various processes from identifying evidence needs to disseminating and using the evidence.
The ToolMap was developed to:
- Enhance access to existing digital tools that are used in various EIDM processes.
- Reduce the time spent locating and searching for appropriate tools to use in the EIDM process.
- Encourage researchers and software developers to add new relevant tools.
