In an attempt to bring academic research capacity closer to the reality 'on the ground' and thereby helping research 'serve' the development process in the region, HoA-REC has initiated Demand Driven Action Research (DDAR).

The HoA-REC DDAR component facilitates joint research between NGOs/CBOs and universities, within the HoA-REC&N geographic and thematic focus areas, addressing real life problems/issues. Backstopping is provided by experts from within the Horn region, bringing in additional expertise from partner organizations outside the region only when required. 

The first step in the DDAR process is collecting research requests from civil society organizations. Students (from academic and research institutions) are then invited to submit research proposals fulfilling the demands. In the process, HoA REC plays a facilitating role in the fine tuning of proposals between the demanding organization, the researcher and the research/academic organization, making sure each proposal is indeed practical and more importantly, demand driven, and therefore leading to data and insights that will immediately be used by actors that are working on the ground to rehabilitate damaged ecosystems and improve livelihoods of people in the Horn.

The second round of pilot projects has recently been completed. Please click here for examples of successful and above all useful DDAR projects from both the first and the second round.