CGIAR’s Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES) provides operational support as the secretariat for the Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) and the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA), and implements CGIAR’s multi-year, independent evaluation plan as approved by the System Council. The IAES and the two independent bodies it supports, provide external, impartial, and expert advice related to strategy and positioning, program evaluation, and impact assessment.
INDEPENDENT SCIENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL (ISDC)
The ISDC provides its advice within the broader context of CGIAR’s Strategy and Results Framework (‘SRF’), and successive multi-year CGIAR Business Plans approved by the System Council upon the recommendation of the System Board. Guided by terms of reference approved by the System Council, the ISDC has a mandate for:
- Foresight work to inform CGIAR’s longer term research strategy;
- Horizon scanning to provide analysis on how emerging trends and developments can be taken into account in CGIAR’s work;
- Priority setting exercises and analyses integrating both ex-post and ex-ante analyses;
- Guidance for periodic proposal assessment processes; and
- Other functions, on the strategic direction of CGIAR and the value of its research agenda.
Members and main affiliations
| Term ends | ||
| Holger Meinke ISDC Chair | Strategic Research Professor for Global Food Sustainability, University of Tasmania, Australia | 20/09/2025 |
| Nompumelelo Obokoh (nee Masubelele) ISDC Vice Chair | Chairperson, Board of the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa | 30/09/2025 |
| Andrew Ash ISDC Member | Retired Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO, Australia | 30/09/2025 |
| Magali Garcia ISDC Member | Professor Emeritus, Universidad Mayor de San Andres, Bolivia | 30/06/2027 |
| David R. Just ISDC Member | Susan Eckert Lynch Professor of Science and Business, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, USA | 31/12/2025 |
| Suneetha Kadiyala ISDC Member | Professor, Global Nutrition, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK | 30/09/2025 |
| Erin Lentz ISDC Member | Associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, Austin, USA | 31/03/2028 |
| Lesley Torrance ISDC Member | Director of Science at the James Hutton Institute and Professor of Biology at the University of St Andrews, UK | 30/09/2025 |
See the Terms of Reference for the Nominations Panel for appointment process of ISDC Chair and Members
See the Terms of Reference for the ISDC Chair
See the Terms of Reference for the ISDC Vice Chair
See the relevant section on the Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service website for further information.
STANDING PANEL ON IMPACT ASSESSMENT (SPIA)
SPIA is an external, impartial standing panel of experts in impact assessment subject matters appointed by the System Council and accountable to it. Within the context of the CGIAR System, operating according to multi-year CGIAR Business Plans to increase coherence and alignment in CGIAR’s delivery against it Strategy and Results Framework (‘SRF’), and guided by terms of reference approved by the System Council, SPIA is responsible for providing rigorous, evidence-based and independent strategic advice to the CGIAR System on:
- Efficient and effective impact assessment methods and practices, including those measuring impacts beyond contribution to science and economic performance; and
- On innovative ways to improve knowledge and capacity on how research contributes to development outcomes
Members and main affiliations
| Term ends | ||
| Travis Lybbert SPIA Chair | Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California Davis, USA | 30/09/2026 |
| Kyle Emerick SPIA Member | Associate Professor in Economics, Tufts University, USA | 31/12/2025 |
| Sujata Visaria SPIA Member | Reader, Bayes Business School, City, University of London; Associate Professor of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR | 30/06/2027 |
| Monica Biradavolu SPIA Member | CEO and founder of QualAnalytics | 30/06/2027 |
| Jenny Aker SPIA Member | Daniel G. Sisler Professor of Development Economics at Cornell University | 30/06/2027 |
| Jennifer Burney SPIA Member | Professor & Marshall Saunders Chancellor’s Endowed Chair of Climate Policy and Research, School of Global Policy & Strategy, University of California, San Diego, USA | 30/06/2027 |
| Susan Godlonton SPIA Member | Associate Professor of Economics at Williams College, USA | 30/06/2027 |
| Robert Darko Osei SPIA Member | Professor of Development Economics, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon | 31/03/2028 |
See the relevant section on the Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service website for further information.
CGIAR’s Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service
Guided by terms of reference approved by the System Council, CGIAR’s Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES) provides operational support as the ISDC secretariat and as the operational arm of the SPIA professional team (mandates of ISDC and SPIA described above). IAES also implements CGIAR’s multi-year evaluation plan. IAES, through its Evaluation function, manages and supports external evaluations that bolster accountability and assurance frameworks, support decision making, and develop lessons for improving quality and effectiveness of agricultural research for development investments. Independent evaluations play a key role in generating evidence about what does and does not work in different contexts, identifying lessons learned for CGIAR stakeholders. IAES is the custodian of CGIAR’s evaluation policy and in February 2022, the CGIAR System Board (23rd Session) and System Council (15th Meeting) approved the current CGIAR Evaluation Framework and Policy. IAES thus fulfills a three part mandate for CGIAR.
Staff members
| Allison Grove Smith | Director |
| Amy R. Beaudreault | Lead, ISDC Secretariat |
| Svetlana Negroustoueva | Evaluation Function Lead, IAES |
| Ira Vater | Senior Manager, SPIA Program Management Unit |
| Domagoj Vrbos | Senior Manager, Operations and Events, IAES & ISDC Secretariat |
| Mae Maghirang | Administration and Finance Specialist |
| Ines Gonzalez de Suso | Secretariat Officer, ISDC Secretariat |
| Ibtissem Jouini | Senior Evaluation Manager, Evaluation Function |
| Position vacant | Senior Officer, SPIA Use of Evidence |
See the relevant section on the Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service website for further information.
Useful Documents
- 2024 Plan Approval: Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service & Supported Independent Bodies
- 2024 Consolidated Technical and Financial Report for Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES), Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC), and Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA)
- Terms of Reference for IAES, SPIA and ISDC
- Terms of Reference: System Council Strategic Impact, Monitoring & Evaluation Committee
