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2019 has been a busy and exciting year for LIDC. In no particular order, here are our top 10 highlights!

1) Launch of the UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub

In January, we announced the launch of the UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub, which LIDC & LSHTM will lead on. It’s a £19.76 million interdisciplinary research project that aims to further our understanding of the causes of child stunting. Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the Hub will work across India, Indonesia and Senegal. You can learn more about our work on Twitter and Facebook.

2) High-level Roundtable on Tackling the Causes of Child Stunting at the House of Commons

On 3 July, LIDC joined forces with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Africa to hold a high-level roundtable discussion on the rise of child stunting on the continent. This took place at the House of Commons and our speakers were Prof Claire Heffernan, PI on the UKRI GCRF Action Against Stunting Hub and Director, LIDC, Prof Paul Haggarty, Deputy PI, Deputy Director of the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at the University of Aberdeen, and Rose Ndulu Ndolo, Senior Nutrition Programme Adviser at World Vision UK. Read the round-up here.

3) SDGeneration: A Citizen Science Movement

On 13 February, LIDC and the Institute for Global Prosperity, UCL (IGP) welcomed over 100 attendees to a large-scale, participative conference. Entitled “SDGeneration: A Citizen Science Movement”, the event explored a citizen-science approach to monitoring and evaluating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conference also examined the support necessary to achieve the SDGs’ aspirations. We were thrilled to welcome a distinguished array of speakers including Dr David Nabarro, 2018 World Food Prize winner, Dr. Joanna Newman, Chief Executive and Secretary General of the Association for Commonwealth Universities, and Dave Hughes, Global Head of Technology Scouting, Syngenta. You can find the post-event report here.

4) Launch of the NGO Membership

LIDC has long valued our relationship with a range of international NGOs. In June, we announced that NGOs could join LIDC as members for a fee of £350 per year. So far, our NGO members include the following organisations:

• CUAMM
• Education Partnerships Group
• Oxfam
• Promsex
• Relief International
• Net
• Social Development Direct
• WaterAid

Learn more about the NGO membership offer here.

5) ESRC-funded Public Debate on the ‘Global Migration Crisis’

On 4 November, we held a large-scale public debate and exhibition on the ‘global migration crisis’, which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Our distinguished speakers, Prof Laura Hammond, Professor of Development Studies, SOAS, Professor Cathy Zimmerman, LSHTM, Dr Ala’aa Shehabi, IGP, and Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, Founder and Director, Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA), countered prevailing narratives around migration. What’s more, there was a public exhibition, which featured engaging posters and films about migration. There was also a ‘graffiti’ wall that allowed our guests to write their thoughts and experiences about migration. Learn more here.

6) Student Careers Networking Nights

At LIDC, we’re passionate about supporting our student members to pursue meaningful work in international development. This year, we held two highly successful careers networking nights, which allowed students to gain useful insights into the industry.

On 16 January, we partnered with our founding member, SOAS, to host one such event. Attended by over 250 people, the night featured an interactive panel discussion and opportunities to network with early – mid-career development professionals. Our panellists were:

• Oliver Trumble, Global Partnerships Manager (Civil Society & Academia), Plan International.
• Khadija Badri, Advocacy and Engagement Officer, European Network on Statelessness.
• Amrin Nahar, Program Associate, 3ie.
• Dr Naomi Bull, Research Fellow, Royal Veterinary College.
• Barry Smith, Principal Consultant, Social Development Direct.

You can read the round-up here.

On 13 November, we collaborated with our member institution, City, University of London to hold another careers speed networking night. On a table – by – table rotation, students sat with international development professionals and heard about their career experiences and top tips for success. Our speakers included Dr Iris Hofmann, Centre Manager, London International Development Centre, Ada Sonnenfeld, Evaluation Specialist at International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), Abel Endashaw, Project and Communications Coordinator, Agriculture, Nutrition & Health Academy, and Sara Dada, Research Fellow, The Vaccine Confidence Project, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

7) Launch of the LIDC Research Seminars Series

2019 also saw the launch of a new event series, which aims to shine a light on new and innovative research in international development. So far, LIDC Research Seminars have featured presentations from the Pew Research Center on mobile use in emerging economies, the latest climate change research, and citizenship. We also hosted a talk by Dr Max Price, former VC of the University of Cape Town, on the ‘Rhodes Must Fall’ campaign.

8) LIDC Short Course ‘Evaluation: From Innovation to Impact’

From 4 – 8 November, we held our well-regarded Short Course ‘Evaluation: From Innovation to Impact’. This year’s course allowed over 30 participants to gain a thorough grounding in evaluation methods for development programmes.

Our tutors included representatives from leading international NGOs, Christian Aid and Oxfam GB, as well as our members and sister organisations, 3ie, CEDIL, IOE, LSHTM, and SOAS. Read more here.

9) LIDC Participates in Orientation Activities at Member Institutions

Between September – October, LIDC actively took part in activities at our member institutions, City, Development Planning Unit UCL, IOE, LSHTM, QMUL, and RVC. Particular highlights included a presentation on forging a career in development at City as well as a dynamic overview of LIDC’s activities at RVC and IOE. We really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with outstanding students who are keen to make a difference in international development.

10) New Staff

This year, LIDC saw two new staff members join the team: Dr Ana Antunes-Martins, Research Programme Manager, and Beth Morrison, Executive Assistant to Prof Claire Heffernan.

Thank you to all LIDC members and supporters for a great year! Your support makes our work possible.