29maynotes2

Strategy Discussion 29 May 2012 Group 2 discussion notes Notes by : Ewen Leborgne

Participants:
 * Meron Mulatu
 * Mekuria Lemma
 * Yetenayet Mamo
 * Hailemichael Taye.
 * Joseph Saburi
 * Tadelle Dessie
 * Biruk Debebe
 * Iain Wright
 * Ewen Le Borgne.

Group 2 was divided into 3 groups, below are the response to the questions from group discussions.

What is the vision of success for ILRI in 10-15 years?


 * Group 1**
 * __(#1) ILRI a center of excellence on livestock research__
 * Successful partnerships with NARS
 * Impact oriented research changing the livelihood of smallholder farmers
 * A place where staff feel that their contribution matters to the success of ILRI


 * Group 2**
 * __(#1) ILRI is seen an important partner in research and development globally__ (highly respected and recognised)
 * Delivering high output in work we are doing / positive impact
 * Strong component of capacity building at all levels (active in CB as well as research)
 * ILRI grows to USD 350 million per annum
 * Highly motivated lean staff performing well at all levels (not just science)
 * Stronger presence in Latin America and Asia (ILRI not seen as an African organization)
 * High technology development in all systems: Technology will cut across everywhere. Nobel prize type science.
 * Efficient and effective use of resources we have


 * Group 3**
 * __(#1) ILRI knowledge is used out there (by farmers, private sector, donors) and we have evidence of our impact__
 * ILRI carries out innovative research (which attracts researchers) – this implies a balance to strike with the previous point
 * Organisations keep coming to us for our information and to work with us
 * We have built strong development networks, a good rapport with various partners
 * Our size (income, staff) has doubled and we receive 100’s of applications for each job posting
 * We keep recruiting strong and diverse professionals
 * We influence donor funding mechanisms to allow us to develop compelling research
 * People (ILRI staff) feel happy and clear about their being part of a greater whole, their role in it and the overall ILRI mission.
 * We develop our ability to respond to crises and quick opportunities
 * A large proportion of our funding comes from large grants not small funding
 * We have mixed teams involved in proposal development to ensure all components are in our proposals and ensure we go for larger grants
 * We have more efficient internal support processes (HR, finance etc.)

What to keep or change in research and the workplace?

 * || Research || Work place ||
 * Keep || * Working in different disciplines
 * Good collaboration in inter-disciplinarity (feed, health, breeding, socioeconomic, innovation)
 * Using attachment students for research
 * Lean collaboration
 * Livestock research as core agenda
 * Value chain approach (build capacity in house to be a knowledge hub on VC development)
 * Keep/retain core staff in research areas
 * Innovation systems approach
 * Interdisciplinarity
 * VC approach || * Communication technology
 * Working facilities
 * Campus facilities (green area, sport facilities, cafeteria)
 * Diversified workforce (IRS)
 * Good campus facilities on both ADD/NBO campuses, including technologies
 * The experience depends on where we sit: heterogeneous experiences ||
 * Change || * Impact-oriented research
 * Good partnership with NARS
 * Dissemination of livestock research results and outputs
 * Capacity building (of staff and NARS)
 * Needs-based research
 * Anticipating and preparing for the future
 * Attracting high calibre professional staff
 * Develop team work (across campuses, between units, research projects)
 * Efficient and target PR (e.g. people and institutions know ILRI in Ethiopia)
 * Take more advantage of (bio-) technological opportunities and break-throughs
 * Strong and continual engagement with staff and partners
 * More monitoring and impact assessment to show
 * Get better at managing information we generate (data management)
 * More learning! || * Staff motivation
 * Internal communication
 * Staff recognition
 * Work life balance
 * Communication!!! (from management, from within, to staff)
 * Stronger cross regional office communication and cooperation
 * Stronger internal comms mechanisms and crucially comms __culture__
 * More responsive support services (HR and finance) ||

Summary comments: - We need to anticipate future changes and to be able to respond to e.g. crises etc. (e.g. ILRI couldn’t respond to the Avian flu). - The world will be a very different place and we just need to be able to respond more. Our strategy should actually remain flexible to respond to changing factors/drivers in smallholder farming systems. à e.g. right now livestock is not part of the agenda. We have to focus on our own agenda and to also look at other, external drivers. - We need to build more learning in our work in e.g. impact assessment and other parts of ur work so that we keep adapting to changing circumstances. - How do you position ILRI in the wider world to be seen? à Most orgs have unrealistic expectations about awareness raising. - We have to pick our battles. Africa is changing, the environment is changing also. We cannot do everything. We have to strongly partner with development organisations. - We need to identify our partners strategically.