Beyond results: planning science for meaningful change

To bring about on-the-ground practice change and innovation from agricultural science, AgResearch (the Crown Research Institute for New Zealand’s pastoral industry) needs to be able to enhance its role within the wider agricultural innovation system. Changes that AgResearch is responding to within the external landscape involve the development of a more collaborative funding model (for example through the National Science Challenges), the complexity of and scale of issues facing New Zealand’s primary sector, for example farming within limits; and the requirement to deliver and account for impact from research. These external changes have necessitated a shift in emphasis from a linear technology transfer approach - where the extension of the research findings occurs at the end of the project, and often as an unfunded after-thought – to a more collaborative, co-innovative approach where research is just one of the functions of the agricultural innovation system. Since 2013, AgResearch has been implementing the six recommendations of their Adoption and Practice Change Roadmap. This includes focussing on partnering with our next-users who have the networks to deliver the impact of our research to the end users; planning science programmes so that there is a clear understanding of who we will partner with throughout the life of the programme to bring about practice change; recognising the function of innovation brokering within the organisation, and being able to monitor progress towards impact within science programmes. This practice paper will focus on how we are embedding this cultural change within a science organisation by discussing the practical tools, participatory processes, and ‘principles of success’ (based on case studies) we have developed and are using to enable co-innovation in and between science teams and next-users. The approaches discussed will be of use to anyone planning an applied research project, where the focus needs to extend beyond the results to achieving change on the ground. Key learnings include involving an ‘implementation group’ to pilot tools and processes, using facilitators to guide project teams, defining language and concepts using electronic media, videos and case studies, and monitoring and evaluating progress.