Service
Capacity Strengthening and Training
When the same problems keep recurring, the issue is capability, not the individual output.
The challenge
If reviews keep surfacing the same problems, correcting each output one at a time treats the symptom
Capacity strengthening addresses the cause, so the next report does not need the same corrections. Many organisations that now produce research were not built to do so, they were designed to deliver programmes. Their staff are strong practitioners now being asked to design studies, analyse data, and write up findings, often with little formal research training.
Sending individuals on occasional courses rarely changes this, and commissioning external consultants to write outputs builds no internal capability. What shifts an organisation's research capacity is structured, sustained development that works with the team's existing strengths and builds skills through practice on real outputs.
My approach
Peer capacity strengthening, not one-directional transfer
My approach is grounded in peer capacity strengthening rather than one-directional transfer of knowledge: working with what the team already knows, respecting contextual knowledge, and building capability through real work rather than abstract exercises. Every programme combines three things and can be delivered in person or virtually. Nine modules are available, and a programme is built around those most relevant.
How programmes are built
Every programme combines three things
Group training
Covering the specific skills the team needs, delivered around live projects.
Individual coaching
One-to-one sessions addressing each person's development needs, at their pace.
Editorial mentoring
Working through real outputs together, building the team's ability to strengthen their own writing rather than editing it for them.
Available modules
Nine modules, selected to fit
Programmes are built around the organisation's priorities and shaped by a needs assessment, not delivered as a fixed curriculum. All modules use the organisation's own research projects and outputs.
Research methods for practitioners
Study design, data collection, analysis, and quality assurance, grounded in policy and practitioner needs but drawing on academic insight. For programme staff taking on research responsibilities.
Research questions, from ToRs to tools
Designing research questions for expressions of interest and inception reports, adapting them for different methodological tools, and using them to organise data more intentionally.
Writing for influence
Structuring arguments, supporting claims with evidence, and writing for donors, policymakers, and practitioners. Addressing writing insecurities to develop confident and clear communication.
Writing recommendations
Moving from vague, generic recommendations to specific, contextualised guidance decision-makers can act on, grounded in evidence, tailored to the audience, and precise enough that a reader knows what to do next.
Research ethics in practice
Informed consent in complex contexts, working with interpreters and gatekeepers, safeguarding in research, and ethical data management. For teams working with vulnerable populations or in insecure settings.
Decolonial and localised research
Designing research that centres local knowledge, challenges extractive practice, and builds equitable partnerships. Covers epistemic justice, working through local knowledge systems, shared governance of research, data ownership and knowledge sovereignty, and moving from consultation to co-production.
MEL for research quality
Integrating research quality standards into monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks, and bridging programme MEL with evidence generation.
Academic writing and publication
Academic writing conventions, peer review, journal selection, and responding to reviewer feedback. For teams aiming to publish in peer-reviewed outlets.
Proposal and bid writing
Identifying research opportunities and partners, and writing competitive methodology sections, ethical frameworks, impact plans, and budget justifications for funding applications.
Additional modules can be developed for specific needs.
Format
Delivered over several months, around live outputs
Programmes are delivered over several months, combining group sessions with individual coaching and editorial mentoring on live outputs, virtually or in person. Both group training and individual coaching are available.
Rates run on a sliding scale designed to make high-quality research support accessible across different budgets.
More on how we work togetherMy approach to capacity strengthening is grounded in capacity exchange rather than one-directional transfer: working with your team’s existing strengths, respecting contextual knowledge, and building practical skills through real work rather than abstract exercises.
How to get started
Start with a scoping conversation
A short, no-obligation conversation to understand your context and what success would look like. You then receive a fixed-fee quote and an estimated turnaround time.