The DHAN Academy in its endeavour to position the Education institution as a Centre of excellence has been constantly involved in improving the Quality of its services by bringing necessary depth and breath. Along with teaching and training through PDM and DMPs respectively, it also recognises Research as yet another core area which alone can bring life and soul to the existing Knowledge base of the academy.
Research in Academy confines to build development Knowledge and to enable the world of practice. The Academy could contribute to the pool of ‘Development Knowledge’ by identifying the critical gaps. Present development knowledge is characterised by imbalance. Some aspects have received enormous attention. Research on Macro aspects has largely predominated. Micro researches/scenario has been neglected. Nevertheless, micro researches are very important to enable practice, as the development scenario is contextual.
Also, there is another level of under emphasis. Research on ‘development issues’ are in abundance.But, Research on strategies and approaches (or about interventions) are sparse. The body of Knowledge bristles with economic perspectives of development phenomena. Social and cultural dimensions remain largely untouched. The implications of various developments are also underrepresented.
The relationships between macro and micro realities (especially institutions) are another lacuna in the body of development Knowledge. They have been perceived as dichotomies and the integration between them is largely ignored. As a result, the strategies or approaches evolved have been only partially successful in practice. The Academy would encourage research keeping in mind the above listed areas of critical gaps.
The Academy would take up research projects/programme keeping in view of the following objectives.
Centre for Research (CR) facilitates field-based research on issues pertaining to the sector and the organization. It undertakes sectoral research on microfinance, tank-fed agriculture and other rural and urban development issues in addition to taking up impact studies of DHAN projects in order to build up a knowledge base for the sector. The Centre facilitates the professionals working at the grassroots to take up micro-studies and action researches on various issues. The Centre collaborates with academician, research institutions and universities on common research interests to exchange expertise and to bring academic rigor to the research outcomes.