Applied & solution-driven research
Translating evidence into actionable interventions for communities, institutions and policy makers. We prioritize questions whose answers change what somebody does tomorrow.
Research that matters.
GRA leads and supports research initiatives that turn evidence into impact — across health, education, governance, environment and community development. We work with researchers, institutions and communities to ask better questions, run rigorous studies, and put findings into the hands of people who can use them.
Four pillars of our research programme.
Capacity building
Mentoring students and emerging researchers in methodology, ethics, statistics, academic writing and publication. We host clinics, workshops and one-on-one supervision.
Open data & collaboration
Sharing datasets, methods and findings with partner institutions and the broader research community — because knowledge locked behind paywalls doesn't change lives.
Policy advisory
Providing research-informed advice to government departments and development partners, translating academic findings into briefings that decision-makers can act on.
Research domains
The subjects we care about.
Our research crosses disciplines — but every project we take on ties back to one of the domains below, where evidence has the greatest chance of changing outcomes.
Public health
Community health, disease surveillance, health-system strengthening and health equity.
Education & pedagogy
Teaching methods, learning outcomes, research training and higher-education reform.
Governance & policy
Democratic institutions, transparency, service delivery and evidence-based policy making.
Environment & climate
Climate adaptation, biodiversity, sustainable land use and community resilience.
Social innovation
Livelihoods, youth, gender, migration and inclusive economic development.
Digital & data
Responsible AI, data governance, digital literacy and technology for development.
From question to published finding.
01
Frame
We work with partners to sharpen the research question and design a study that can actually answer it.
02
Fund
We map the question to funders, co-write proposals, and manage grant compliance once awarded.
03
Conduct
We support fieldwork, data collection, ethics review, analysis and quality assurance.
04
Share
We publish, brief and disseminate — in journals, in policy circles, and in the communities that participated.
Collaborate with the research team
Propose a study, share data, or join a project.
Whether you want to co-design a study, contribute data, mentor a student researcher or peer-review a manuscript, our research team would like to hear from you.