Blog

2018 has been a momentous year for us at LIDC. In no particular order, here are our top 10 highlights of the past year!

1) Funding wins

This year, LIDC won significant funding for its member institutions. High impact wins include the Bloomsbury SET (Science, Economics, Technology), which is funded by Research England. This project aims to connect place, people, businesses, ideas and infrastructures in pursuit of innovative scientific/ technical solutions (tools, vaccines, models) to safeguard human health. Furthermore LIDC supported the creation of the LIDC Migration Leadership Team, which is funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), to develop a global strategy for identifying and supporting migration research.

2) New research communities of practice

2018 also saw the introduction of new research themes, which reflect LIDC member researchers’ varied interests and expertise. What’s more, they closely align with funder and donor priorities, which is especially important given the challenging context of international development. Our research themes are:

• Innovation
• Health
• Food
• Risk
• Resilience
• Climate
• Impact

3) Visual rebrand

On 30^th May, we were delighted to unveil a new logo, website and brand identity. We believe that our new brand identity better reflects our strong commitment to foster collaboration among our members.

4) New website

LIDC’s refreshed website is a visually stunning showcase of our achievements and the latest development news. Its blog section also provides a platform for a range of people to share their views on international development. If you would like to submit a blog post, please email Sarah Hambly at sarah.hambly@lidc.ac.uk.

5) Action against Stunting Summit

In April, we held an Action against Stunting Summit. The Summit brought together academic researchers, policy makers, and the civil society for a day of panel discussions and debates about the role of disruptive research in global child nutrition. In addition, the event identified leverage points where research findings could inform policy and practice. We were delighted to hear from representatives of the University of Aberdeen, Royal Veterinary College , Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UCL Institute of Education, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Senegal, University of Brighton, SEAMEO RECFON, World Health Organisation, UK Research and Innovation, World Food Programme, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, Medical Research Council, World Vision, and Save the Children.

6) Development Debate with the Guardian

In December, we held a Development Debate, which investigated whether #MeToo had really taken off in international development. We were delighted that Lucy Lamble, Executive Editor of the Guardian’s Development desk, chaired the event. What’s more, our panel comprised the following distinguished speakers:

• Frances Longley, CEO, Amref Health Africa-UK and Co-chair of the UK NGO Steering Group on Organisational Culture for Safeguarding
• Sarah Maguire, Director, Technical Services, Governance, DAI
• Deniz Kandiyoti, Emeritus Professor, SOAS
• Shaista Aziz, Co-Founder, NGO Safe Space, and Journalist
• Meghna Ranganathan, Assistant Professor, LSHTM

Read the round up here.

7) Photography Competition 

In March, LIDC held its annual global development photography competition. Kevin Queenan, a research assistant from the Royal Veterinary College, won first place for his striking image of a Maasai Moran at a slaughter slab. Laura Stahnke, who studied at SOAS University, was awarded second place for her image of a young woman horse racing by Song KUL Lake, Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, third place went to UCL student, Eva Mellou, for her image of a young boy in Ghana.

8) Podcasts

In September, we were thrilled to explore why migration remained such a hot-button issue, as well as the work of the LIDC Migration Leadership team. Our speakers were Professor Kavita Datta, Professor of Development Geography at Queen Mary University of London and co-Investigator on the MLT, and Jenny Allsopp, Postdoctoral Fellow on the MLT. You can listen to the podcast here.

In November, we recorded a podcast that explored the importance of innovative approaches to evaluation and evidence synthesis and the work of the Centre of Excellence in Development Impact and Learning (CEDIL). Our speakers were Marcella Vigneri, Research Fellow at CEDIL, and Dr. Matthew Jukes, Fellow and Senior Education Evaluation Specialist at RTI International.

9) GCRF Networking Workshop

On 7^th November, we held a GCRF Networking Workshop, which brought together academic researchers, professional services staff and postgraduate students from our member institutions for a day of panel discussions and activities related to the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The event also allowed guests to meet and connect with current GCRF grant holders and other researchers. Read about the event here.

10) New staff

This year, LIDC saw two new staff members join the team: Iris Hofmann, Centre Manager, and Sarah Hambly, Communications and Public Engagement Manager.

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