Update on the EADI Directors' meeting 2008

25 June 2008, Geneva

The 2008 Directors’ meeting, held during the General Conference, was well attended, with some 50 heads of development research institutes and representatives from donor agencies taking part. The one-hour meeting was a direct follow-up to the 2007 meeting. The EADI Newsletter 2-2007 might thus serve as a background paper and complements the various topics and results listed here:

·         Accreditation of Development Studies
A guide for the peer review of Development Studies was developed. The Institute of Social Studies, The Hague volunteered for a peer review in 2009.

·         Doctoral workshop/network
Experience of workshops with PhD students was briefly exchanged. The Institute of Social Studies, The Hague has gained good experience with its Development Dialogue. The Institute also volunteered for the first EADI Doctoral Workshop in 2009. The Institute of Development Studies, Brighton volunteered for the next one in 2010.

·         EADI Master's in Development Studies
The project, which started a few years ago, intended to set up a Master's programme co-organised by several partner universities. In the meantime, the project has been stopped due to lack of funding. Gianni Vaggi (CICOPS) volunteered to continue to work on the idea.

·         Journal ranking
A brief update on the CERES/EADI journal rating list was given (see: http://www.eadi.org/index.php?id=481). It was decided to go one step further and to address the topic with a panel at EADI’s next Directors’ meeting.

·         Simon Maxwell reported on the main outcomes of the General Conference sessions on “Managing change” and announced a summary report. The main challenge identified was to maintain quality in research at a time when pressure from donors, from external evaluation and mergers of institutes is pertinent. He suggested forming working groups on selected topics discussed and a “Directors’ development programme”, a long-term training programme for leaders in development research institutes (see the online dossier).

·         European research
The task group will continue as a sub-committee of the EADI Executive Committee. Its main task is to position EADI vis-à-vis the European Commission. A major issue in 2007 and 2008 was the European Development Report.

Further reading:
EADI Newsletter 2-2007
EADI Dossier on Journal Ranking

EADI Dossier on Accreditation

http://www.eadi.org/