Meaningful progress in international development requires evidence to move beyond research alone and into policy and practice. The Impact Fund supports FCDO-funded research to generate real-world low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) by strengthening evidence use in policy and practice, and assessing impact.
The Impact Fund is one of the Research Commissioning Centre’s (RCC) flagship funding programmes. It is a targeted funding model that supports organisations delivering innovative engagement and evidence uptake initiatives aligned with FCDO’s strategic research priorities.
Through commissioned grants, the Impact Fund invests in projects that generate practical insights, foster collaboration and strengthen the use of research evidence across policymaking and practice. It also supports projects seeking to retrospectively assess and better understand research impact.
At a glance:
To date, the Impact Fund has supported 17 projects across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with more than £543K in funding. The projects cover a breadth of thematic areas including health, transport infrastructure, humanitarian response and gender equity – and support activities like policy engagement, research translation, and capacity building.
The Impact Fund was launched in 2025 to help bridge the gap between research and real-world impact. The Impact Fund supports follow-on or unforeseen opportunities where relatively modest resources can help drive meaningful change.
The pilot phase of the Impact Fund launched in May 2025, supporting a cohort of six projects focused on enhancing the use and impact of research evidence across international development. Following strong early engagement, a second phase of the pilot was launched in September 2025 to expand the programme and support nine additional projects aligned with the Impact Fund’s objectives.
Following the completion of a review of the pilot in January 2026, the Impact Fund is moving into a new round of commissioning.
The RCC has worked closely with FCDO research teams to identify programmes eligible for the Impact Fund. This approach helps manage demand for a relatively limited funding pool and the selection process remains competitive.
Lead Organisation: Islamic University of Technology
Bangladesh
Supports the safe and inclusive integration of three-wheel vehicles into Bangladesh’s transport system by translating transport research into practical policy and infrastructure recommendations. Through community discussions, stakeholder workshops and a national seminar, the project brings together transport users, planners and policymakers to develop safer road design and regulation approaches.
Thematic Area: Transport, Infrastructure
Project Type: Research Translation, Policy Engagement
Lead Organisation: University of the West of England, Bristol
Project Partners: Kathmandu Medical College (Nepal Injury Research Centre)
Nepal
Provides provincial governments in Nepal with evidence-based recommendations to support safer motorcycle taxi regulation. The project will establish stakeholder forums and develop practical guidance materials for policymakers, riders and passengers to improve road safety and support long-term transport planning.
Thematic Area: Transport, Road Safety
Project Type: Policy Engagement, Capacity Building
Lead Organisation: Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe)
Sri Lanka, The Maldives
Explores opportunities to expand South Asia’s regional power grid to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, building on previous FCDO-supported energy research. The project examines how increased grid connectivity could improve energy efficiency, support renewable energy use and strengthen regional energy cooperation.
Thematic Area: Energy, Climate, Infrastructure
Project Type: Stakeholder Convening / Policy Engagement
Lead Organisation: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Project Partner: British Nepal Medical Trust
Nepal
Translates research on socioeconomic support for tuberculosis patients into community-led interventions in Nepal. Building on previous trials, the project engages local stakeholders to reduce stigma, improve treatment adherence and address the economic impacts of TB. Through policy engagement and community mobilisation, it supports more equitable and effective approaches to TB prevention and care.
Thematic Area: Health
Project Type: Stakeholder Engagement, Policy Engagement
Lead Organisation: PT Solusi Sirkular Indonesia (Alner)
Project Partners: Plastic Diet Indonesia
Indonesia
Applies research from the TRANSFORM programme to advance circular economy practices in urban Indonesia. The project works with city-level stakeholders in Bandung and Bali to translate evidence into policy and operational action. Through capacity building and stakeholder engagement, it supports waste reduction, reuse systems and more sustainable urban resource management.
Thematic Area: Circular Economy, Waste Management
Project Type: Policy Engagement, Capacity Building
Lead Organisation: Real Medicine Foundation Pakistan
Pakistan
Builds on implementation research to strengthen women’s access to equitable primary healthcare in rural Pakistan. The project establishes inclusive health councils to improve accountability, service delivery and community engagement. By supporting local leadership and evidence-informed decision-making, it advances gender equity in healthcare systems.
Thematic Area: Gender Equity, Health
Project Type: Policy Engagement, Capacity Building
Lead Organisation: The University of Warwick
Project Partners: University of Ibadan
Nigeria
Strengthens how data is collected and used in humanitarian response settings to improve accountability and decision-making. Building on previous research, the project expands training tools for humanitarian organisations, affected communities and donors, while developing a best-practice framework and convening workshops to promote ethical and effective data use.
Thematic Area: Humanitarian Response, Data Governance
Project Type: Capacity Building
Lead Organisation: SLR Consulting Limited
Project Partners: Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Flone Initiative (Kenya), Zambia Road Safety Trust
Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia
Strengthens the reporting and prevention of gender-based violence in public transport systems across Sub-Saharan Africa. Building on previous research, the project deploys user-friendly reporting tools for passengers and translates collected data into actionable policy recommendations. Through stakeholder engagement, training and policy dialogue, it supports national and regional actors to improve transport safety, inform regulation and address systemic risks faced by women and vulnerable groups.
Thematic Area: Gender Equity, Transport
Project Type: Policy Engagement, Research Translation
Lead Organisation: ALIMA – The Alliance for International Medical Action
Project Partner: Ministry of Health (MoH) – Nigeria
Nigeria
Supports early identification and management of severe illness in malnourished children through a digital clinical decision-support tool. Building on validated research, the project deploys and scales the RISQ system to improve clinical decision-making and reduce mortality rates. By integrating technology into frontline healthcare settings, it strengthens health system capacity and enables more timely and accurate treatment for vulnerable populations.
Thematic Area: Health
Project Type: Research Translation, Technology Deployment
Lead Organisation: University of Leeds
Project partners: IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) (Kenya), University of Makerere
Kenya, Uganda
Evaluates the long-term impact of the HyCRISTAL climate resilience programme in East Africa. Using a theory-based approach, the project assesses how research has influenced policy, practice and resilience outcomes over time. Findings will inform future climate programming and strengthen evidence on what drives sustained resilience in vulnerable regions.
Thematic Area: Climate, Environment
Project Type: Evaluation, Learning
Lead Organisation: University of Southampton
Uganda
Translates research into practical interventions to improve maternal and reproductive health outcomes in Uganda. The project promotes antenatal couples counselling to strengthen birth planning and increase uptake of postpartum family planning. Through engagement with health systems and policymakers, it supports more effective and inclusive maternal health services.
Thematic Area: Maternal and Reproductive Health
Project Type: Research Translation, Policy Engagement
Lead Organisation: TakaTaka Ni Mali
Kenya, East Africa
Strengthens circular economy systems by translating research into scalable waste-to-wealth solutions across Kenya and the wider East African region. The project combines capacity building, policy engagement and stakeholder platforms to improve waste management practices, reduce environmental harm and unlock economic value from waste systems.
Thematic Area: Circular Economy, Waste Management
Project Type: Capacity Building, Policy Engagement
Lead Organisation: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
Project Partners: Bureau de Conseils, de Formations, de Recherches et d’Etudes (BUCOFORE) (Chad), ANDOVAR Pte Ltd (Singapore), NANE editions (France)
Chad, Senegal, Singapore, France
Translates research findings into practical tools to support humanitarian responses to displacement in the Chad-Sudan borderlands. Activities include multilingual fact sheets, stakeholder seminars and international presentations designed to improve gender-responsive programming and strengthen evidence-informed humanitarian decision-making.
Thematic Area: Humanitarian Response, Conflict, Gender
Project Type: Knowledge Synthesis, Research Translation
Lead Organisation: Transport for Cairo
Ghana, India, Pakistan
Transforms research findings into practical tools to strengthen institutional capacity in sustainable transport planning. The project develops a comprehensive manual and supporting resources for policymakers and practitioners, enabling more effective implementation of transport systems. It supports knowledge transfer and capacity building across diverse geographic contexts.
Thematic Area: Transport, Infrastructure
Project Type: Capacity Building, Research Translation
Lead Organisation: Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
Project Partner: Humanitarian Outcomes (UK)
Synthesises insights from over 15 years of research on fragility, conflict and violence to inform future policy and programming. The project convenes stakeholders across institutions to reflect on lessons learned and identify priorities in a changing global context. It supports evidence-informed decision-making for development and humanitarian actors.
Thematic Area: Fragility, Conflict and Humanitarian Response
Project Type: Policy Engagement, Capacity Building
Lead Organisation: Uptime Catalyst Facility
Project Partner: Uptime Global (Bangladesh)
Bangladesh
Co-funded the SafePani* results-based contract in Khulna, Bangladesh — a Government of Bangladesh-matched mechanism paying professional providers only against independently verified drinking-water reliability and safety in 1,174 primary schools and clinics. Strengthens the case for integrating the model within the 2026–2030 national primary education programme.
*SafePani is a results-based financing model for drinking water in Bangladeshi primary schools and rural clinics, developed under the FCDO-funded REACH programme at Oxford.
Thematic Area: Climate, Environment
Project Type: Financing, Research Translation
Lead Organisation: University of Oxford
Ethiopia, India, Peru, Vietnam
Leverages over two decades of longitudinal research to generate new insights into life-course development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project develops innovative data tools and cross-country analysis to inform global debates and national policymaking. It strengthens the use of long-term evidence in shaping development strategies.
Thematic Area: Poverty, Inequality
Project Type: Research Translation, Engagement
The Impact Fund supports organisations delivering research and engagement activities that strengthen the use, accessibility and application of research evidence across international development policy and practice. The Impact Fund also supports organisations who want to retrospectively assess their impact.
The Impact Fund currently operates through as a targeted funding model and is available to organisations whose research has been fully or partially funded by the FCDO. The FCDO nominates specific programmes or projects that have received research funding. The lead partners and sub-grantees are then invited to apply to the Impact Fund. Visit here for funding calls that are available for applicants.
The Impact Fund is a targeted funding model. Projects are selected based on their impact potential, feasibility, additionality, approach to equity and partnerships and Value for Money (VfM).
Grant periods vary depending on project scope and funding round but are normally around 12 months.
Projects supported through the Impact Fund span multiple regions globally, including Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and global initiatives.
Yes - many Impact Fund projects involve lead organisations, partners or sub-grantees based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
For general enquiries, please contact: impactfund@3ieimpact.org
This report shares early learning from the RCC’s flagship Impact Fund pilot, designed to help FCDO-funded research achieve greater policy and practice impact in LMICs. It is intended for funders and commissioners of research, researchers and implementers interested in strengthening research uptake and equitable and impact-oriented funding models.
SafePani is a government-led initiative in Bangladesh that delivers reliable drinking water to schools and community clinics through a professional service delivery model. The project is led by the Local Government Division and supported by the Directorate of Primary Education, Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Department of Public Health Engineering, Directorate General of Health Services, Department of Disaster Management, and the Deputy Commissioner of Khulna District. A national steering committee has monitored the performance of SafePani’s pilot over a three-year period.
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