DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING AGRICULTURAL …

1 ECONOMIC AND SECTOR WORK. DESIGNING AND. IMPLEMENTING . AGRICULTURAL . innovation FUNDS: Lessons from Competitive Research and Matching Grant Projects M AY 2 0 1 0. REPORT NUMBER 54857-GLB. ECONOMIC AND SECTOR WORK. DESIGNING AND. IMPLEMENTING AGRICULTURAL . innovation FUNDS: Lessons from Competitive Research and Matching Grant Projects R epor t No. 54857-GLB. Agriculture and Rural Development Department 2010 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW. Washington, DC 20433. Telephone 202-473-1000.

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4 CONTENTS III. Table of CONTENTS. Acknowledgements .. vii Acronyms and Abbreviations .. ix Executive Summary .. xi Chapter 1: Introduction and Background .. 1. Understanding innovation as the Key to AGRICULTURAL Development.. 1. The Emergence of the AGRICULTURAL innovation Systems Approach .. 1. Purpose and Content of This Synthesis Report .. 2. Chapter 2: The Main innovation Funds .. 5. Grants.. 5. Competitive Research Grants .. 5. Matching Grants .. 6. Chapter 3: Appropriate Uses of Grants .. 9. When Should Grants Be Used?.

5 9. Selecting an Appropriate Grant Scheme .. 10. Chapter 4: Challenges of Grant Schemes and Suggestions to Overcome Them .. 17. Sustainability and Projectization .. 17. Equity Challenges .. 18. Administrative Costs .. 19. Capacity Challenges .. 19. Chapter 5: Engaging Diverse Stakeholders for Buy-in, Transparency, and Impact .. 23. Participation and Political Buy-in .. 23. Coordinating AGRICULTURAL Investments.. 23. Engaging Actors in Research Programs .. 23. Engaging Actors for Enterprise Development .. 24. Overcoming Common Challenges with Participation of Farmers and the Private Sector.

6 25. Chapter 6: Institutional Arrangements .. 29. Governance to Support and Sustain innovation .. 29. Level of Decentralization .. 29. Management of Competitive Research Grant Schemes .. 31. Management of Matching Grant Schemes.. 31. Grant Secretariat/Administrator .. 33. Selecting an Organization to Host the Secretariat .. 33. Chapter 7: Lessons on Grant Eligibility, Selection Criteria, and Approval Procedures.. 35. Specifying Strategic Needs .. 35. The Importance of Clarifying Who Can Apply for a Grant .. 35. Specifying Appropriate Expenditures.

7 35. EC O N O M I C A N D S E CT OR WORK. IV C ONTENTS. Setting Limits on Funding Amounts .. 36. Establishing Selection Criteria .. 37. Chapter 8: Lessons on Procedures for Subproject Selection and Approval .. 41. Awareness Raising and Communications Campaign .. 41. Calling for Proposals or Direct Solicitation .. 41. Capacity Building and Support for Applicants .. 42. A Two-stage Review Process .. 43. Final Approval .. 45. Managing Transaction Costs and Timelines .. 45. Chapter 9: Lessons on Implementation .. 47. Disbursement and Flow of Funds.

8 47. Financial Management .. 47. Procurement .. 47. Auditing.. 48. Safeguards .. 49. Subproject Closure and Completion Report .. 50. Chapter 10: Monitoring and Evaluating Activities .. 51. Setting Indicators .. 51. Monitoring and Evaluation Arrangements .. 52. Early and Continuous Monitoring .. 53. Evaluating Grant Schemes .. 56. References .. 59. Annexes Annex 1: Providing Public Funds to Address Market Failures .. 61. Annex 2: AGRICULTURAL Research and Competitive Grant Schemes: An Assessment of Four Projects in Latin America by the World Bank's Internal Evaluation Group (IEG), 2009.

9 63. Annex 3: Governance Embodied in Multiple Actors: Uganda's Millennium Science Initiative .. 65. Annex 4: Checklist of Characteristics of a Matching Grant Program in an Investment Project .. 67. Annex 5: Examples of Selection Criteria for Competitive Research Grants and Matching Grants.. 69. Annex 6: Examples of Concept Note and Full Proposal Formats for a Matching Grant Scheme for Agribusiness .. 75. Tables Table 1: Investments and interventions that warrant strengthening in many AGRICULTURAL knowledge systems .. 2. Table 2: Key issues to consider in determining whether a competitive research grant, matching grant, or block grant/core funding is the most appropriate choice.

10 11. Table 3: Purposes of matching grant schemes in World Bank projects in the AGRICULTURAL sector .. 13. Table 4: Client orientation and participation in science and technology funds that are competitive and specific to agriculture in selected countries in Latin America .. 24. D ESIGNING A ND IMPLEMENTING A GR ICULTURA L INNOVAT ION fund S. CONTENTS V. Table 5: A generalized governance and management structure for a competitive research grant scheme .. 29. Table 6: A generalized governance and management structure for a matching grant scheme.