With shrinking resources and growing global challenges, prioritization is more than a catchphrase; it is a survival strategy. For CGIAR, prioritization, i.e. the process of systematically identifying and ranking research investments based on their strategic alignment, impact, and feasibility to achieve desired goals, is complex and often contentious. Multiple stakeholders, diverse interests, minimal budget flexibility and tough trade-offs make this a high-stakes exercise. So how can we support CGIAR to make prioritization decisions more consistent, transparent, and future-ready?
This is why the Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) created the new Brief Primer on Tools to Prioritize a Research and Innovation Portfolio in a Complex System Involving Multiple Decision Makers. The aim is to equip CGIAR scientists, management, and the Independent Partnership Board (IPB) with practical tools for prioritization. This isn’t about compliance or revisiting past decisions; it is a toolkit for future prioritization exercises.
Why This Matters
CGIAR operates in a complex environment with multiple decision makers and competing priorities. Funders must have confidence that their contributions align with CGIAR’s mission and strategic goals, as well as their own. Transparent prioritization builds that confidence and strengthens coherence across the entire Portfolio.
The Primer offers a structured yet flexible approach to help answer critical questions such as:
- Which areas of work should CGIAR protect or phase out?
- Where do we have the greatest comparative and absolute advantages?
- How do we balance short-term needs with long-term objectives?
What’s Inside
The Primer is a brief, practical guide to tools and approaches that make prioritization more objective and repeatable. Highlights include:
- Systems Perspective: Recognizes the complexity and interlinkages across the Portfolio; priority setting should not be entirely retrospective nor prospective. Trade-offs across priorities are expected and must be managed.
- Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches: Combine Portfolio-level cohesion with program-level insights.
- Key Tools:
- Strategy alignment and theory of change
- Comparative and absolute advantage analyses
- Boundary setting for clarity on “where CGIAR plays”
- Defining indicators that link global targets to areas of strength
- Foresight and trade-off analyses
These tools aren’t prescriptive; they are adaptable and serve various purposes. The purpose of these tools is to strengthen decision making, not to constrain it. The following diagram outlines some of the key considerations to which these tools can be applied.
Looking Ahead
Prioritization is not a one-off activity. It is an ongoing process that needs to evolve with shifting global realities such as climate change, geopolitical shocks, emerging technologies, and funding pressures and opportunities. By applying the approaches highlighted in this Primer, CGIAR can make tough, transparent choices with confidence, ensuring that limited resources deliver maximum impact across the entire Portfolio.
This is not the final word on prioritization. As the CGIAR evolves and embeds prioritization into its practices, additional methods might be added to this toolkit. Achieving this will require ongoing dialogue, constructive feedback and strong collaboration.
