Researchers who specialize in development issues need to create a new mindset to confront a fresh set of challenges that include ever tighter purse strings and growing demands for tangible results, said Ann Tutwiler, director general of Bioversity International, a global think tank based in Rome.
“For a long time researchers have been able to just publish a paper and that was that,” she said. “That was their job. Now it’s also their job to think about who is going to use that information. Why am I doing this research? What problem am I trying to solve? What about communications? It’s a mindset change.”
While they’re busy adjusting their mindsets, researchers are finding that traditional sources of money are drying up, especially in the agricultural realm, Bioversity International’s forte. That’s forcing them to seek new partners, notably in the private sector and with environmental groups.