Step 3: NIPN capacity development strategy and plan of action (3/4)

5. Capitalise on existing opportunities: be aware of other capacity-building initiatives in the country and aim to collaborate
Examples of capacity development opportunities for NIPN which are already in place include:
- Peer to peer learning through regional and international NIPN workshops and webinars organised by the Global Support Facility.
- This set of Guidance notes on a range of aspects of the NIPN process
- Mentoring and hands-on support in NIPN countries by NIPN technical assistants.
- Knowledge brokering (see text box below) which refers to the role of ‘middle men’ or brokers who make research and practice more accessible to others.
Examples of knowledge ‘brokering’ include:
Seminars
In Ethiopia IFPRI / NIPN are organising monthly nutrition policy and research seminars which support informal capacity strengthening by bringing together researchers and policy-makers to:
- Disseminate existing research findings with the objective of promoting nutrition knowledge among decision makers.
- Promote interactions between decision makers and researchers.
These seminars have focused on themes such as Food Systems and Diets in Ethiopia and Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture.
Newsletters and websites
Circulating nutrition-related research findings to a broader audience can be done through newsletters, E mail updates and websites.
The European Union Delegation in Ethiopia circulates a weekly e-newsletter containing relevant nutrition-related articles. The newsletter is circulated to over 100 nutrition partners in Ethiopia as a means of broadening the nutrition knowledge base.
A similar approach has been taken by POSHAN (Partnerships and Opportunities to Strengthen and Harmonise Actions for Nutrition in India) led by IFPRI. Research Notes, which present a concise summary of research studies conducted by POSHAN and its partners, are available on the POSHAN website and help to extend access to the evidence base to a wider audience.