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The Commission for Development Studies at the OeAD-GmbH (KEF) merges scientific questions with development-political targets: the basic idea is the embedding of a development-political approach in the field of science and research. The Commission thus serves as a multi- and interdisciplinary platform for all persons and institutions involved in scientific issues of Development Cooperation (DC), as well as part of the European and global scientific community.
This objective is being put into practice both through applied cooperative research projects with scientific partners in developing countries and also through consultation services to scientific institutions and funding organisations in terms of scientific knowledge of DC. After an external scientific pre-assessment, research partnerships are chosen by the members of the Commission according to the KEF criteria with regard to scientific quality, development-political relevance and sustainability, as well as in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The partner countries of KEF include developing countries according to the DAC-list (Development Assistance Committee) of the OECD. These are countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, and Asia.
Complementary to this, the Commission serves as a contact and networking point for organisations from the fields of science, economy and DC, both at home and abroad. The proactive dissemination of information from both fields is a prime task for KEF.
In 1981 KEF was established as an Austrian measurement after the UN-conference „Science and Technology for Development", which had taken place in 1979 in Vienna. KEF is composed of members delegated by government organisations, scientific members, members from the field of DC and international cooperation in science and research, as well as other members.
KEF has set itself to achieve the following objectives through its activities:
o Merging of scientific questions with development-political targets
o Embedding of a development-political approach in the field of science and research
KEF will continue to take the current research-political questions of DC as reference points. These can vary according to the geopolitical situation, but it is conceivable that the Millennium Development Goals will dominate considerably until 2015. The contents of KEF's work will be oriented accordingly. To begin with, KEF will thus continue to support research partnerships for development and in parallel coordinate the design, planning and execution of topic-related research projects (scientific collaboration) in the following working areas:
- Research for development (WA 1):
Components of cooperation between science and Austrian DC within the context of research partnerships and the future funding of this type of cooperation (development of capacities in the research sector of DC, 0,7 campaign for more means in the field of research partnerships, the role of research in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals)
Optimisation of criteria and indicators for the choice of projects, monitoring and evaluation in research for development (review of the catalogue of criteria)
- Collaboration science - economy - politics in DC from the perspective of research (WA 2)
Another important task for KEF is its advisory function for scientific institutions and sponsors with regard to scientific questions of Development Cooperation:
- Autonomous representation of KEF in external thematically relevant working groups
- Preparation of situation analyses, design and supervision of research foci of KEF in the field of capacity development and research for development
- Development of strategies and concepts for a stronger integration of scientific insight and methodology into Development Cooperation, especially with regard to multi- and transdisciplinary cooperation
- Awareness raising and public relations: KEF-events, issuing position papers and publications,...
- Project and funding applications on a national and international level, contact networking, thematic inputs, ...
- Policy influence: tailor-made information activities for political decision-makers
KEF is further active as a contact point and networking agent for organisations from the fields of science, economy and DC, both at home and abroad. It aims at an improvement of public relations in order to represent the profile of KEF, as well as the issues of research for development, in public.
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