Scaling for impact and the need to collaborate and partner, particularly with scaling partners, whether private sector, development companies or NGOs, to achieve impact at scale is a high priority topic amongst international research donors, researchers, governments and institutes.

A 2023 global survey by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and managed by Howard Hall confirmed that the majority of those engaged in international agricultural research consider engaging commercial operators in projects (public private partnerships (PPPs)) to be important and of high priority.

Key reasons given by survey respondents for prioritising PPPs include:

• Adoption, long term outcomes, impact

• Translating research into tangible outcomes,

• Accessing skills and industry knowledge and

• Aligning research with market demands from agribusiness in developing countries.

Building effective partnerships within the agribusiness sector is Howard Hall’s forte.

With a wealth of experience in business, research and commercial engagement (PPPs), Howard understands the intricacies of collaborating with diverse partners. He has successfully designed and guided projects across multiple countries, assisting projects to collaborate with diverse commercial and development partners.

Experience

Howard Hall’s experience in evidence-based international research and development spans:

• Donor funded international research and development,

• Levy and Australian government funded agricultural industry research in Australia,

• Public and privately funded research in food processing and distribution and

• Privately funded multinationals’ research in agricultural chemicals.

Howard has held research and development roles as responsible corporate manager, principal investigator, project and program manager and funding donor. He understands the criticality of a focus on demonstrable and lasting outcomes and their adoption by key beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Howard believes Research and development is first and foremost about people, particularly beneficiaries and key stakeholder groups beyond the initiating / managing organisation and project teams.

His experience has confirmed that plans, processes, intended outcomes and innovations are seldom well executed, achieved or adopted if the intended users, the people, do not believe that they have agency and ownership in the process and the achievement of outcomes.

Howard’s strategic acumen and commercial orientation, coupled with an innate affinity for embracing change, positions him uniquely to address pressing challenges and identify opportunities for innovation in both process and outcomes.

Howard thrives on looking ahead and charting new pathways, championing initiatives from conception to delivery, and mentoring the next wave of professionals with a positive, solution-centric mindset.

Whilst at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Howard successfully:

• Initiated and managed innovative multi-jurisdiction projects focused on effectively engaging commercial firms in public funded projects,

• Pioneered the first value chain projects with co-investment from the private sector in the agency’s 40-year history,

• Initiated Agribusiness Reference Groups in several developing countries, to build linkages between commercial agribusinesses and publicly funded value chain projects,

• Established a specific commercial engagement fund to focus on this critical and challenging research frontier, and

• Developed and internationally presented commercial engagement (PPP) guidelines and frameworks for broader researcher application.

Howard has the experience and insights to assist you to adopt strategies for effective stakeholder engagement and collaboration including engaging commercial partners (PPPs) in international research and development.