Event Highlights: KIX EMAP Skills-Strengthening Workshop: Implementation Research
On 19 and 20 June 2025, the KIX EMAP Hub, in partnership with the Building Evidence in Education (BE2) initiative, organised a workshop focused on implementation research. This was the first workshop in the new KIX EMAP Skills-Strengthening Workshop Series. The workshop received over 350 applications, with nearly 100 selected participants attending the two-day seminar.
The workshop was based on the BE2 implementation research guidance note. The workshop was developed to help education stakeholders design and oversee implementation research in order to answer questions and learn lessons about the contextual factors impacting the implementation of an intervention or reform. The interactive workshop included ongoing polls, question and answer sessions, case studies and breakout group discussions to ensure participant engagement.
Day 1 began with introductory remarks from Gita Steiner-Khamsi, KIX EMAP Lead Researcher. This was followed by introductions from the workshop facilitators, Christine Allison and Maria Brindlmayer, from BE2. The session then launched into what implementation research is and how it differs from other forms of research. The facilitators discussed with participants how and why one would use implementation research, unpacking why this is a necessary tool for policy-makers and who might benefit from the use of implementation research.
The participants were split into guided breakout groups to examine a case study by discussing key stakeholders and beneficiary groups, and how implementation research aligns with national, regional and/or local priorities. Before concluding for the day, attendees were given a homework assignment to prepare an elevator pitch for implementation research to funders.
Day 2 opened with a recap of the previous day’s learnings and addressed outstanding questions. The facilitators then invited several participants to share their homework pitches on implementation research for funders. After that, the workshop focused on how to conduct implementation research.
The facilitators began by discussing key roles and skills for high-quality implementation research. Participants were then put into breakout groups for another case study discussion on skills and power dynamics among stakeholders.
The workshop moved on to when to conduct implementation research. The facilitators shared with participants how to build a road map for implementation research, discussing how to integrate it into project planning and key steps for integration into ongoing research and measurement strategies. The group also discussed what implementation research outputs might look like.
Finally, the group discussed how to build in iteration and flexibility in implementation research. Participants were encouraged to use flexibility to consider integrating implementation research into different stages of a research process and to explore what strategies they could use in an inflexible system to still achieve change.
The workshop closed with remarks from Maria Brindlmayer and Marina Dreux Frotté, KIX EMAP Education Policy, Evaluation, and Learning Lead.
Please refer to the event report for key insights from the workshop, alongside a list of questions and answers addressed by the instructors.