This six-year partnership (2018-2024) with NORC at the University of Chicago, funded by USAID, was implemented by Makerere University School of Public Health-ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) as a key player in convening academics and researchers across Africa to conduct robust development research in the effort to support evidence-based decision making. The RTAC initiative represented a strategic investment in building sustained research capacity within African Higher Education Institutions to address priority development challenges identified by USAID missions and bureaus. The project encompassed three main components: (1) responsive research services conducting rapid evidence reviews, secondary data analyses, and small-scale primary studies to inform USAID programming decisions; (2) technical assistance to USAID missions and implementing partners in research design, monitoring and evaluation, and data utilization; (3) capacity building for local researchers and institutions in advanced research methodologies and policy engagement.

The research portfolio under RTAC addressed diverse sectors including health systems strengthening, education, agricultural transformation, governance, and resilience building. A distinctive feature was the emphasis on co-creation of research studies and areas of focus between academic researchers and development practitioners, ensuring relevance and utility of research findings. The project developed innovative approaches to rapid evidence synthesis, including living systematic reviews on priority topics and evidence gap maps that visualized where robust evidence existed and where further research was needed.

Capacity building initiatives included research methods, webinar sessions, mentoring programs for early-career researchers, and support for academic researchers to effectively produce development research reports. The project also facilitated connections between researchers across the continent as well as increasing their opportunities to conduct robust development research to inform evidence-based decision making, thereby increasing visibility opportunities. RTAC demonstrated the value of sustained investment in local research ecosystems, showing how academic institutions in developing countries could move beyond data collection subcontractors to become genuine thoughtful partners in addressing complex development challenges in a timely manner.