Returning Results: New Knowledge Exchange Manual

In spite of substantial financial investments in research, relatively little attention is paid by many research organizations to communicating results to broad audiences, particularly local stakeholders. By failing to communicate research results beyond elite audiences, research organizations may miss significant opportunities to increase their impact and contribute to solving concrete social and environmental problems.

One impediment is that there is often a lack of understanding about "how-to" do such activities. To fill this gap in Students draw species maps, Cortejuba, Brazil.understanding, PPI, along with additional partners, are compiling a manual which will highlight innovative practices of disseminating research results. An overview will highlight the relative success and failure of traditional scientific outputs to catalyze impact, and the potential to expand the range of research outputs as one means to augment impact. Thematic chapters include: oral traditions (i.e. From Camp Fires to Cell Phones), theatre, puppetry and games, written communication, (manuals, brochures, comics); radio; and video (DVDs) and the web. The voices and experiences of numerous invited experts, practitioners and local people from Asia, Africa and Latin America will be reflected in the form of case studies. Broader lessons will be gleaned from the diverse cases, for the purpose of fostering replication.