Biomass-Based Innovationsin Demand Driven Research and Development Projects in Africa

The case for demand-driven research and development has received important considerations   among   governments, donors   and   programme   implementing   partners   in development planning and implementation. Addressing demand is generally follows a bottom-up approach in designing appropriate response towards specific development outcomes. In this paper, we discuss the concept and application of demand driven research for development (DDRD) in Africa. We use evidence from six projects that are implemented under the BiomassWeb Project in Africa. We focus on variables that defines stakeholder’s engagement, especially stakeholders that are on the demand side for technologies; the processes for demand articulation; capacity building, implementation processes, innovativeness of the project, reporting and sustainability of the project. We find that the nature of the institutions involved in demand articulation and implementation of research action influenced the outcome of the project. The quality of partnership that was developed also contributed significantly to the final impact of the project.