NETWORKING, COMMUNICATION, AND SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT IN NUMBERS 2024
During the course of 2024, there were 14 active National Danida fellows networks. National networks are considered to be active, when they (the fellows) have organised a minimum of one event for their members during the year and the registered membership is at least 10 Danida fellows.
Increase in network-led knowledge sharing activities
The number of events organised by and for the national Danida fellows networks increased from 11 self-organised events in 2023 to 19 in 2024, with an average number of 40 participants across these events.
An additional 14 in-country events were organised in 2024, supported by a Danida Fellowship Centre’s Networkers’ Grant, Annual General Meeting Grant or other contributions.
These activities covered a wide range of topics, including antimicrobial resistance in Colombia, the circular economy in Kenya, leadership training in Burkina Faso, waste recycling in Indonesia, the energy transition in Argentina and malaria control in Tanzania.
Partnerships pay off
Our “Together for Impact” partnership with the MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation, MS TCDC has strengthened our communication and social media engagement, significantly expanding our reach and impact. For example, a single sided post may reach an average of 1000 views, while a shared and re-shared post on LinkedIn as the manifesto launch reached 4903 views.
Through joint communication efforts around initiatives such as the “Empowering Youth to Influence SDG Implementation” learning programme and the “More Women in Research” initiative, we have highlighted common themes such as green transition, democracy, and youth leadership.
Both initiatives converged at the “YouLead Summit” 2024.
Science engagement: Enhanced knowledge sharing, uptake, and impact
Once again in 2024, a significant number of Danida-supported researchers and PhD candidates participated in our research and science engagement learning activities to enhance their skills in this area.
In May, our “Bridging the Gap: Science for the Public” media training for researchers brought together 30 participants from 18 projects across Denmark, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Indonesia. This year, we expanded the training to include real-time pitching sessions, feedback from a news editor, and a new social media component.
In September, we hosted the mandatory online training ”Engagement, Influencing, and Impact”, which brought together 30 researchers from Denmark, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Vietnam.
We launched the second Science Engagement Days under the theme More Women in Research. What began as a seminar with 50 Danida-funded women researchers grew into a manifesto advocating for stronger female representation in knowledge production and policy—demonstrating the ripple effect of these initiatives.
