Applied Research and Implementation Initiative (DigiDev)

Many BRAC programs already demonstrate momentum in adopting digital innovations for optimized impact. Moving forward, this initiative will assess the current ecosystem of digital innovation within BRAC and supplement them with new digital innovations in program modalities, targeting, implementation, M&E, and knowledge management. The activities will involve internal and external stakeholders, including research institutions, peer organizations, philanthropic partners, and governments.

Core operating support for applied research and implementation will equip the team with the resources to cultivate an ecosystem of internal and external stakeholders to collectively design, test, evaluate, and scale digital social innovations. The capacity-building initiative will culminate in the integration of digital modalities for more impact and strengthening BRAC’s legacy of pioneering multi-faceted solutions to poverty, illiteracy, disease, and injustice. Its cross-country reach and purposeful collaborations of national and international stakeholders will catalyze the digital strategy of the organizations and digital skills of the beneficiaries at and beyond BRAC.

Key Activities:

i) The Initiative will conduct a global landscape review to aggregate innovative and promising digital solutions that have the potential to benefit people in poverty and human development at scale.

ii) The Initiative will assess readiness for technology uptake within BRAC, constraints to integrating digital innovations into existing programs, and opportunities for iteration based on applied research.

iii) The Initiative will build a robust pipeline of digital innovations, propelling the most promising projects forward and increasing the efficiency in appropriate beneficiary selection, digitalization of training process and contents, technology in service delivery, and advanced data analytics for M&E.

iv) Using supplemental project funds, the Initiative will oversee at least 3-5 applied research projects to take digital solutions to scale at BRAC and through other organizations.

v) The Initiative will host workshops and learning sessions to generate interest and enthusiasm, as well as to crowd in peers and partners dedicated to creating and scaling digital social innovations.

Photo by KC Nwakalor for USAID Digital Development Communications, licensed under CC BY 2.0.