Brokerage needs fixing across developing world says RIU
26 April 2011

Tweet   

The RIU Director, Ian Maudlin, has highlighted the essential role of innovation brokers in putting research into use drawing on the experiences of the Africa Country Programmes.

"The Africa Country Programmes are essentially innovation brokers bringing together public sector research and private sector investors in a way that no-one else does. It turns out there are not any real agencies in-country to fulfil this role. Nobody in-country is willing to pay for such a service. You might think that the private sector might pay for it, or the public sector, but both of them say 'that's not really our job'. So here RIU has fulfilled a really useful role and the result has been really, really successful projects, such as the warrantage programme in Rwanda which is exemplary.

We have to think very deeply about that, how we can get these brokerage services up and running across the developing world."

As the current phase of the RIU programme draws to a close in June 2011, the team has started to reflect on the emerging lessons. One of six emerging lessons so far identified within the programme relates to brokerage.

Brokering networks and alliances is a critical role in putting research into use and enabling innovation in agriculture. These brokerage roles need to be recognized as indispensable and unavoidable research costs, but currently investors appear unwilling to fund this crucial role and the capacities and competencies required are scarce in both the public and private sectors.

RIUtv meets... Ian Maudlin on Brokerage
RIUtv meets... Willem Heemskerk on Brokerage