The annual report for the UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR), over the financial year 2021 to 2022, highlights the work of UKCDR in supporting UK research funders to achieve maximum impact in research and innovation for sustainable development.

The UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) is a dedicated team of experts working to amplify the impact and value of UK’s research investment to address global challenges through mapping, improving best practices, coherence and joint action.

We are a neutral and impartial entity providing the secretariat for, and governed by, the Strategic Coherence for ODA-funded Research (SCOR) Board.

Our core contributing members include:
• Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)1
• Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
• Wellcome Trust

Global development research can help change the trajectory of the world’s most pressing challenges from climate change, poverty, and
inequality. Through our work over the years, UKCDR has tracked success factors for global development research for greater impact, in particular the importance of interdisciplinarity, strong partnerships, fast reliable funding, and coherence.

At the core of our current strategy (2018-2022) is a principal commitment to data mapping, analysis and foresight, with our remaining activities built upon this strong foundation of knowledge and evidence.

For the financial year 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, UKCDR engaged in a range of projects in line with the following SCOR Board’s strategic priority areas:
1. Embedding good equitable partnership principles
2. Providing a better understanding of capacity strengthening investments and opportunities
3. Driving data transparency through our Mapping ODA Research & Innovation
(MODARI) project
4. Increasing coherence in climate change research funding in the lead up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), through our funding landscape analysis
5. Continuing to map and analyse global COVID-19 research funding
data to inform funder priorities and practices, as governed by the COVID
CIRCLE principles.