Welcome Message

Achieving efficiency in large and complex research for development programs (R4D) is a significant challenge.

A few years back we had the idea to link Monitoring and Evaluation with Knowledge Management aiming at delivering information and data more accessible. Our focus was on tools and workflows but then we realized that real change was happening in the users around us in looking to their knowledge beyond monitoring their results only.

Today MEL users have developed more institutional awareness, being able to execute their share of M&E activities in real-time with their peers on the same platform and in collaboration with them.

Users and partners often engage on MEL for Capacity Development activities, receiving Knowledge Management training which fosters collaborations and enhances overall institutional performance. By providing access and roles based on the users’ actual responsibilities, MEL also provides more common ground between partner institutions, while at the same time ensuring discretion of information and data safety.

Through its Knowledge Sharing (KS) channels, MEL extends the projects’ outputs outreach and enables post-research impact over time. The online platform Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) is a multi-program, multi-functional, interoperable system that collates, synthesizes, analyzes, disseminates and reports information generated in four multi-institution CRPs and Programs: Dryland Systems, Roots, Tubers and Bananas, Grain Legumes and Dryland Cereals, FISH and the IFAD funded program.

ENRICO BONAIUTI,
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist,
ICARDA

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Testimonials

“Proper data management planning is the corner stone of evidence based research and through MEL, we are able to plan our deliverables, monitor them and the risks associated leading to high quality data”
- Cristiano Rossignoli,
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) and Impact Assessment Research Leader, WorldFish

“High quality data is critical to enhancing science. Making our data open ensures that practitioners can apply our findings leading to new unanticipated discoveries. Through the inbuilt repository system integrated in MEL, we are able to ensure that our data and knowledge products are made open.”
-Jacqueline Muliro,
Research Knowledge and Data Manager, WorldFish

“Keeping track of staff, projects and achievements is now much easier with the award-winning @MEL_CGIAR solution. Through its “Knowledge Evaluation” tool I can access all the info I need anytime!”
- Mira Haddad,
Senior Research Assistant, Spatial Analysis and Database Management

“Keeping track of staff, projects and achievements has become much easier since MEL. With the MEL “Knowledge Evaluation” tool I can extract all the info I need anytime! #OpenDataDay #ODD2020 #OpenData”
-Jacques Wery,
ICARDA Deputy Director General

“MEL enables understanding of the research data management cycle, setting a good framework for the project data management, plus taking care of standards and protocols. #OpenDataDay #ODD2020 #OpenData”
- Chandrashekhar Biradar,
Head of Geoinformatics Unit “GeoAgro”

“MEL helped me change the way I look at my data, seeing its value with renewed clarity and so planning ahead to tap its potential to the fullest. #OpenDataDay #ODD2020 #OpenData”
-Sawsan Hassan,
Research Associate Coordinator of Forage Systems

“A centralized data and material platform incentivizes researchers to create open data, which helps CGIAR to develop international public goods.”
- Janila Pasupuleti,
ICRISAT Senior Groundnut Breeder, CRP-GLDC Flagship Program 4 Leader

“I think MEL is potentially a terrific tool for project monitoring and reporting from widely distanced institutions and participants.”
- Vincent Vadez,
Institut de recherche pour le développement, and CRP-GLDC Cluster 4.1 Co-Leader

“The MEL platform is a user-friendly platform where you can do multiple tasks at once; it helps reduce duplication of efforts in collecting and reporting data, and using other platforms like ODK and being able to retrieve them in MEL.
When you report through MEL, your data can be used at project, institutional, and CRP levels—your data are immediately open for sharing with others but at the same time also protected! It is easy to plan and track results in real time and on different projects being implemented. MEL is a very useful tool for project management.”
- Francine Uwera,
M&E Officer, IITA

“The MEL platform allows for real-time project monitoring from planning to reporting what was actually achieved to learning through the repositories of publications generated from innovative research. The multi-institutional, multi-projects, multi-crop outputs and outcomes are made available to all stakeholders in real time on institutional dashboards with flexibility of data analytics including charts, graphs, and maps. The MEL platform facilitates open data accountability and showcases return of investment on research, science and innovation.”
- Atilade Solomon Adebayo,
M&E Manager, IITA

“It has been great to see how helpful the MEL platform has been in supporting monitoring and knowledge management for RTB. MEL helped me track the progress made across our large and diverse team and identify the most relevant results that we are able to share through open access repositories.”
- Claudio Proietti,
Senior Program Officer, RTB

“When I started using MEL, I appreciated the intuitive user interface, which makes declaring and uploading deliverables a straightforward process.”
- Thierry Tran,
Alliance Bioversity- CIAT

Open data to boost Groundnut breeding initiatives

Groundnut is among the key grain legumes playing a vital role in enhancing human nutrition and farm biophysical features. Groundnut provides opportunities for smallholder and women farmers and boosts economies at the household and macro levels.
Read the full story by Dr. Dr Janila Pasupuleti

Interview with Enrico Bonaiuti from ICARDA

Learn more about Enrico Bonaiuti, a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) specialist at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), a CGIAR Center, and how his organization engages with AGROVOC. ICARDA is part of the AGROVOC Editorial Community.
Read the full interview

How MEL supports the Data Management Cycle

Presented by Jacqueline Muliro,
Research Knowledge and Data Manager
WorldFish

Connecting MEL with ORCID

Presented by Cristiano Rossignoli,
MEL Impact Assessment Resaerch Leader
Worldfish

MEL Navigation Guide

Social Media Resources

Benefits and Access

Every user can benefit from the use of the platform in various ways, depending on their role and purpose of use. The main types of users, as well as how they will utilize the platform, are:




Scientists

Submits inputs and has full overview of research work plan, outputs, outcomes and financial information within their domain and in specific sites (i.e. countries). They can archive their research products and share them with external stakeholders, and through MEL can also enable group discussions to generate new research proposals and share results.

Flagship & Cluster Coordinators

Benefit from an overall view of scientists’ products and are able to synthetize information, plan joint research in the flagship, monitor progress on research implementation, manage risks and make adjustments as necessary. They receive aggregated flagship data to involve partners in research activities.

Project Managers

Can access timely information on program/project deliverables with smart search engine to organize meetings and produce synthesis reports for donors, partners, and stakeholders.

Finance & HR Focal Points

Can find an overall view of the planned and delivered products per scientist or project to mitigate delivery risk and measure staff performance. They can receive synthesized information for annual planning and reporting – for example, by center, CRP or project.

Communication, Capacity Development & Gender Focal Points

An overall view for CRP planned and delivered products per flagship or per Center helps to support knowledge sharing, capacity development and overall institutional strengthening. It also supports gender-focused research and mainstreaming and increases visibility of CRP activities and research outcomes. They receive synthesized information to help their positions inform and engage stakeholders, generate new project proposals, raise funds, increase visibly and more.

Intellectual Property (IP) & Legal Manager

Benefit from an overall view of all legal mechanisms in place to ensure CRP/ project partnerships are properly managed and key legal aspects are covered in the agreements. The platform contains a module the indicate the intellectual assets, knowledge, technologies, and information that are used from other organizations and that are generated.

MEL by the numbers

800+

CGIAR activities managed

600+

Projects mapped or carried out

200+

Projects currently being managed

9000+

Information products reported

13000+

Average monthly views

2000+

Users engaged in research and policy making

3500+

Information products openly accessible through MELSpace

900+

Information products with limited access, but fully credited