Countries as Co-Owners: GPE KIX's Collaborative Approach to Knowledge Mobilization

A powerful narrative emerged from recent research projects' cohort meetings led by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC): embedding knowledge mobilization from the very beginning of research design is fundamentally reshaping how evidence influences policy and practice.

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A powerful narrative emerged from recent research projects' cohort meetings led by the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX), a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC): embedding knowledge mobilization from the very beginning of research design is fundamentally reshaping how evidence influences policy and practice. This shift has proven transformative across KIX-supported projects worldwide, GPE KIX projects are demonstrating that when policymakers, education stakeholders and communities are engaged as partners rather than recipients, evidence drives sustainable system change.

Reshaping Education Policy Worldwide

GPE KIX research projects are grounded in country priorities and designed to drive meaningful knowledge uptake and policy change across five thematic areas; Education data systems and data use; Early learning and school readiness; Gender equality, equity and inclusion; Teacher professional development and  Education in emergencies and fragile, conflict and violence-affected contexts.

From the outset, projects are encouraged to clearly articulate the change they seek to achieve: What is the purpose of this research? Which behaviours should change? What policies or practices should be influenced? Whether the goal is to inform, inspire, or actively engage decision-makers and practitioners, having a clear policy objective significantly increases the likelihood of uptake and sustained impact.

This clarity is illustrated by the Indonesian Empowering Schools as Frontliners project, led by the Center on Child Protection and Wellbeing at Universitas Indonesia (PUSKAPA), which aims to strengthen and institutionalize violence prevention within Indonesia’s education system. The project has set a concrete objective: to ensure the effective implementation of the Ministerial Regulation on School Violence Prevention through evidence-based strategies at both the national level for policy and curriculum and local level for school implementation.

Another example is Educates Rwanda’s Data to Action project, which focuses on positioning the Comprehensive Assessment Management Information System (CAMIS) as a trusted and indispensable tool for decision-making. The project seeks to embed CAMIS dashboards directly into existing education workflows, thereby strengthening evidence-informed interventions. Beyond technical integration, the initiative emphasizes systemic scale through peer-learning networks and sustainable capacity-building mechanisms. At its core is a clear behavioural objective: shifting education officials from passive consumers of data to proactive problem-solvers who use data to identify, interrogate, and address educational challenges.

Together, these examples highlight how GPE KIX projects begin with impact in mind—linking research to clear policy objectives, defined behavioural changes, and practical pathways for uptake—to ensure evidence leads to action where it matters most.

Knowing Who Matters and Why

Effective knowledge mobilization begins with understanding the policy ecosystem. GPE KIX projects have developed stakeholder-mapping approaches that go beyond identifying names and titles to include understanding power dynamics, decision-making processes, and policy windows. The Building Resilience through Inclusive Development and Gender-responsive Life Skills Education for Internally Displaced Adolescents in Nigeria (BRIDGE-IDAs) project exemplifies this approach. Working with internally displaced adolescents, the team conducted deliberate stakeholder mapping, supported by the GPE KIX focal point in the Federal Ministry of Education, to identify key actors at national, subnational, and community levels. This mapping informed targeted engagement strategies through both formal channels and informal relationship-building.

Similarly, Scaling up sub-national education data value chains in Sub-Saharan Africa

(KIX-SEEDS), a project led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) identified national and subnational policy actors in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Uganda before launching research activities. This early mapping enabled the team to design research indicators collaboratively with policymakers, ensuring relevance from the outset. The Empowering Schools as Frontliners project in Indonesia advanced stakeholder mapping by identifying not only ministries but specific technical units. Engaging the Center for Character Building and aligning research with Ministerial Regulation ensured the evidence spoke directly to active policy priorities, significantly accelerating uptake.

Building Ownership Through Participation

The shift from consultation to co-creation is central to GPE KIX approaches. The Adapting and Scaling Early Learning Outcomes Assessments in the West and Central African Region project, led by the Africa Early Childhood Network, engaged Ministries of Education from the beginning, securing ministerial endorsement that enabled government systems to cascade ownership across national and subnational levels. Policymakers, civil society, researchers, and UNICEF co-created adaptable assessment tools, participated in national project launches, and engaged in continuous validation and piloting processes.

In the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, the Scaling Impact of a Play-Based, Child to Child Approach to Make Pre-School to Primary School Transition Fun and Inclusive project established national adaptation working groups that brought together ministries, academics, and practitioners to contextualize and validate the learning model. This deep engagement ensured the final training package addressed fundamental policy gaps and earned formal government recognition. The Advancing Children's Continued Education through Sustainable Scaling (ACCESS) project, operating across Yemen, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, institutionalized co-creation through Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) comprising government, non-governmental organizations and community representatives who co-designed research, selected participants, and interpreted findings through a gender equality and social inclusion lens. These TAGs created a two-way knowledge flow that transformed passive stakeholders into active champions.

In-person demonstrations have proven particularly effective. The Pre-service Teacher Training: Defining the Impact of Inclusive Approaches to Enhance Teaching Quality project, led by CEBAR Consultancy and the Sydani Initiative in Nigeria, strengthened trust through on-site demonstrations that allowed policymakers to observe the impact of inclusive approaches firsthand at teacher colleges. Similarly, the Scaling Impact of a Play-Based, Child to Child Approach project used compelling visual documentation from pilot schools showing immediate learning gains to build policymakers’ confidence.

Delivering the Right Data, in the Right Format, at the Right Time

Policy-friendly evidence products have been essential. The Empowering Schools as Frontliners project packaged findings into concise policy briefs and visual evidence products, recognizing that busy policymakers need digestible, actionable insights. The project's regular dialogues with technical units, supported by KIX EMAP Hub amplification, created sustained engagement rather than one-off presentations. 

Leveraging policy windows has accelerated uptake. The Lifting Barriers: Educating Boys for Gender Equality project in Cambodia, Lesotho, and Malawi worked within existing government structures and aligned with national priorities through launch meetings, validation workshops, and national consultations. In Tanzania, Kenya and South Sudan, the Strengthening Teacher Professional Development and Mentorship project, led by the University of Dar es Salaam, strategically aligned the School-Based In-Service Teacher Training (SITT) model with national continuous professional development (CPD) platforms and reform processes.

Leveraging GPE national processes

A key advantage of GPE KIX projects is their systematic engagement with GPE partners and processes, including Local Education Groups (LEGs), GPE partner countries' focal points within Ministries of Education, and opportunities to inform and influence partnership compacts.

The KIX-SEEDS project engaged directly with GPE and GPE KIX focal persons in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Uganda, positioning evidence within active policy dialogues. This engagement contributed to remarkable success: Burkina Faso's statistical office provided 500 smartphones to support data collection, a testament to how trust, relevance, and clear value propositions drive government investment. The Empowering Schools as Frontliners initiative worked closely with the Indonesian Local Education Group (LEG) coordinator, who was instrumental in organizing consultation meetings with key education stakeholders from the outset.

Several critical lessons emerge for the global education community:

  • Institutionalize from the middle: The From Data to Action project in Rwanda demonstrates that investing in middle-tier capacity, district officials, school inspectors, and local education officers, ensures sustained evidence uptake beyond leadership transitions and political changes.
  • Build trust before asking for change: The sustainability of the Lifting Barriers: Educating Boys for Gender Equality project stemmed from a deliberate, positive, asset-based messaging strategy that reframed the intervention as complementary to existing priorities rather than competing with them.
  • Make evidence visible and tangible: Policymakers respond to what they can see. Pilot demonstrations, visual documentation, and on-site visits build confidence far more effectively than reports alone.
  • Engage the right technical units: Not all ministry engagement is equal. Identifying and building relationships with specific technical offices responsible for policy implementation significantly increases impact.
  • Design for two-way learning: The most effective advisory structures, such as the ACCESS project’s TAGs, generate genuine dialogue rather than one-way knowledge transfer, building sustained relationships grounded in mutual respect.
  • Package for accessibility: Evidence products must match policymakers' time constraints and communication preferences. Concise briefs, visual summaries, and clear calls to action outperform lengthy academic reports.

When knowledge mobilization is embedded from the beginning, when stakeholder mapping informs strategy, when policymakers co-create rather than consume research, and when evidence is packaged for action, research and evidence transform education systems. 

For more information on effective knowledge-mobilization strategies and lessons learned from these projects, see the presentations delivered at the recent thematic cohort meetings:

Education Data Systems and Data Use

Early Learning and School Readiness

Gender Equality, Equity and Inclusion

Education in Emergencies

Teacher Professional Development