Evaluation of the Engineering Knowledge and Research Programme (EngKaR)

The Department for International Development's (DFID) Engineering Knowledge and Research (EngKaR) programme aims to provide technical, managerial and policy solutions in the infrastructure and urban development sectors that help enable poor people to escape from poverty on a sustainable basis. It intends to solve specific problems, build capacity and communicate the solutions to others, so that the knowledge generated becomes a public good and is re-used by others to generate wider development benefits. Over the past 15 years, it has invested over £100m across up to seven sectors in some 600 projects, mostly undertaken in collaboration between UK research institutions and partners in developing countries.

DFID commissioned an evaluation of EngKaR to support decision-making about the future of research on pro-poor infrastructure within the Research Funding Framework. The evaluation, conducted by Technopolis and ODI, tackles the way the programme has been designed and run, its results and - as relevant - opportunities for improvement.

The study included interviews with DFID staff, other policy makers and relevant NGOs; questionnaires to project leaders and 'expert' reviews of selected projects; a review of programme logic and management processes; and country visits to assess impact on policy.

We conclude that EngKaR is an inherently sound and valuable programme whose 'public good' character offers high 'leverage' in poverty reduction. Its performance would be improved by:

• Clustering projects thematically and geographically to increase the programme's 'clout' in country, and to make capacity building more cumulative
  
• Anchoring project design in the needs of specific beneficiaries at an earlier stage in the project life cycle
  
• More effectively coupling the projects to strong stakeholder interests in beneficiary countries or among donors who can ensure implementation and exploitation of results. In particular, they should be better linked to DFID's own plans and activities at country level

Further Information:

• Summary of the findings
• Full report - Evaluation of DFID's Engineering Knowledge and Research (EngKaR) Programme ( 700kb)
• Country studies in India ( 321kb) and Kenya ( 290kb)
• For DFID's response to the EngKaR evaluation, see www.dfid.gov.uk/research/response-engkar-report.asp
• Please contact: John Young

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