How is a local problem identified and how is university research enabled to address this problem and meet people's expectations?

The "Conference Universités Extra-Muros-Coopérer pour un développement ciblé des pays du Sud " hosted by Belgian universities through the Conseil interuniversitaire de la Communauté française (CIUF) -Commission universitaire pour le Développement (CUD) was an opportunity to review and plan a research agenda that would effectively serve and address community needs. Through presentations of examples and results from selected projects, the conference was envisaged as an opportunity to reflect on the impact of university and scientific cooperation on development and development policy in the South. It was also a venue for sharing partnerships of universities and the integrated activities taking place, demonstrating how university cooperation projects can be innovative tools and development drivers.

Local community problems, research and academe response

Problems are easy to identify, but defining these problems is not. Critical in this definition is knowing the context of the drivers, and sometimes triggers, of the problems and the possible responses. Research needs to be more focused on people's better management of the problem rather than the delivery of a "project" output. This calls often for an on-site third party involvement or multiple roles that partnerships engender.

The PIC (programme interuniversitaire ciblé) approach that these partnerships use encourages local empowerment where the research question is generally drawn from the local context and where a combination of socio-cultural, technical and scientific difficulties is addressed. A theoretical or "idealized" research topic is "parked" on the side and assessment begins with local needs. The improvement sought is not simply economic but involves greater sustainability or management of wellbeing and capacity. New focus is brought to the problem and insights are gained from sharing of local people. Further options in approaching the concern are developed, often in terms of management by people.

Mt Kitanglad Upland Devt Program.

Community discussion is different from a discussion with community on a focused topic from outside. The economically attractive goal that benefits the system may be the logical focus - but broader wellbeing usually wins out. Is there a project connection with a greater focus on education for all? How are women and youth critical to sustainability and capacity to manage? Often there is a need to adjust participation. For example, communities facing climate change will require a radical change of accompaniment and adaptation.

Community has a tendency to include a broad spectrum of problems and their awareness or expression of the problems they face may lack the breadth and objective context of review. Time is best given to community learning and ownership of the emerging needs of their situation, allowing them move toward resolution. People need to be empowered in addressing their circumstances and it is important that efforts be undertaken to assist a community to express their needs in a form that research can take on and manage. If the community can express their concern, they often can learn from their own reflections and from other communities and move on to a new stage with further responsibility.

Engagement with local people can help in refining research design, methodology, use of readily measurable data and analyses. Community observation and participation become more directional in forming the approach. It is then easier for research results and recommendations to be embraced by people to improve their way of life.

Social change is not just a matter of output but a broader social outcome. The "research project" can be internalized as service in society. Critically, research teams need to form around:

• Listening to the community, giving basic attention and sensitivity to their story, activities and practices and the social context
• Understanding a community's expressed needs and the relations and what motivates them
• Understanding local universities, accompanying organizations, and inter-university relations
• Looking for the synergy between capacities already existing and in place
• Engaging local people in research design and enhancing their capacity
• Conducting adaptation research that strengthens and allows for greater flexibility in resource utilization

Traditionally, university teaching departments may have grown far from communities or lack mechanisms to engage. Teaching may be the primary role and the research and community context may be out of focus.

Research is an intellectual movement upward, and the focus in part is inward. The movement also must be outward and may engage an outreach arm or assisting organization not initially part of the department. Universities, assisting organizations, community groups, and local governments need to be appropriately connected and relations and structures must develop. What is fragile in the relations with the environment - or climate change - and other socio-cultural relations of stakeholders may be critical across cultures.

The university's vision and mission must highlight an attitude towards engagement and partnership, as well as technical inputs and research. Inter-university relations need to clarify, focus, and strengthen areas of research for local context. There has to be a grounded context, balancing humility and prestige, transparency and integrity and autonomy, and partnership and sustainability and empowerment. Universities have institutional memories usually longer than local government, so it takes a generation for growth in collective management beyond community members and governance capacity.

The approach in enabling university research may include:

• Monitoring environmental situations affecting communities
• Capacity building of communities to know their environment and resources
• Management tools in resource development
• Advocacy support for better government engagement through services, opportunities, or rights
• Planning tools for more integrated resource uses