A delegation from the Ethiopian Public Service University (EPSU) visited the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) for a leadership dialogue aimed at exploring opportunities for institutional collaboration and strengthening the link between research and policymaking. During the meeting, the EPSU delegation presented the university’s institutional background, research experience, ongoing reforms, and strategic direction under the theme “From Research to Policy Impact.” The discussion focused on identifying shared research priorities, pooling institutional expertise, and establishing practical mechanisms for cooperation. Both institutions expressed their commitment to working together on a common research and policy agenda, with the aim of generating evidence-based solutions to national development and public-sector challenges.
Dr. Zerihun Doda Doffana, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology and Director of Research Affairs at the Ethiopian Public Service University (EPSU), delivered a presentation entitled “From Research to Policy Impact” during a leadership dialogue with the Policy Studies Institute (PSI) on 30 October 2026. The presentation focused on EPSU’s strategic research reorientation, thematic priorities, and opportunities for institutional collaboration with PSI. It aimed to share the university’s reform direction, identify common policy research priorities, and explore practical areas of partnership, including joint studies, grant proposals, expert reviews, policy seminars, scientific conferences, and research dissemination.
Dr. Zerihun provided an overview of EPSU’s research tradition, highlighting that systematic research, community engagement, and technology-transfer activities had been organized since the 2014/2015 academic year. He reported that the university had undertaken and disseminated more than 480 staff-development research grant projects, organized 11 consecutive annual national and international research conferences, and established six scientific journals to support research dissemination. He noted that EPSU’s research activities had increasingly moved beyond individual projects towards collaborative, interdisciplinary, and problem-oriented research linked to public-sector needs, policy dialogue, and community development. Research outputs were disseminated through academic journals, policy briefs, conferences, community-service initiatives, teaching and learning activities, and media engagement.
The presentation also highlighted EPSU’s experience in commissioned research, consultancy, and applied projects. According to the presenter, the university had documented 19 commissioned research studies, nine consultancy assignments, and eight additional project and programme engagements, bringing the total to 36. These assignments covered a wide range of areas, including policy studies, citizen satisfaction surveys, urban planning, transport, poverty, investment, and climate resilience. The commissioning institutions and partners included federal and public organizations, city administrations, sectoral institutions, universities, and development partners such as Farm Africa, Mercy Corps Ethiopia, and Cities Alliance.
Regarding the thematic coverage of its research portfolio, Dr. Zerihun identified six major areas: public service performance; governance and accountability; urban planning and spatial development; transport and sustainable mobility; inclusion, livelihoods and social policy; and economic development and climate resilience. He also presented selected flagship studies, including the State of Ethiopian Cities Report (2014), Green Urban Planning and Management for Climate Resilience (2016), the formulation of the Ethiopian Civil Service Delivery Policy (2020), and the synthesis of public perceptions on service delivery and citizen satisfaction in Ethiopia (2022). He further outlined ongoing and recent assignments, including the Bonga City Structural Plan Preparation, the African Urban Lab Capacity-Building Project, the Addis Ababa City 10th Structure Plan Implementation Effectiveness and Impact Study, and the Evaluation of Non-Motorized Transport for Sustainable Mobility in Addis Ababa.
A significant part of the presentation addressed EPSU’s strategic research reorientation for 2025/2026. Dr. Zerihun explained that the national reorientation study and taskforce had recommended strengthening the relationship between research and national public-sector priorities. He described the shift from research conducted largely as a separate academic activity, often through individual or institutional projects, towards an applied, collaborative, and policy-informing research model. Under the reoriented approach, research would be co-designed with public-sector institutions and relevant partners, implemented through interdisciplinary teams involving researchers and students, and directed towards practical outputs that inform policy, institutional practice, training curricula, community engagement, and technology transfer. He emphasized that this transformation represented a change in institutional research culture rather than merely an adjustment to research grant procedures.
The presenter further outlined EPSU’s reoriented research vision and mission. The university seeks to establish a research ecosystem recognized for generating rigorous and relevant evidence that supports effective public service, informed policymaking, and community development. Its mission is to co-produce interdisciplinary and problem-solving research with public-sector institutions and communities, translating research findings into policy advice, improved training, technology transfer, and tangible community outcomes. He stressed that the defining shift was from viewing research primarily as an academic output to recognizing it as a process of public-value creation and policy learning.
Dr. Zerihun also presented six principles guiding the university’s reoriented research agenda. These include ensuring that research is development-oriented and problem-solving; generating actionable evidence to inform public policy; aligning research with national development priorities and EPSU’s institutional mandate; adopting a tripartite approach involving academic researchers, public-sector partners, and students; integrating research into the university’s core missions of teaching, training, community engagement, and technology transfer; and promoting impact beyond academic publication through policy briefs, recommendations, and implementation-oriented learning.
In addition, the presentation introduced the EPSU Research Thematic Roadmap 2026–2035, which identifies seven strategic research priorities developed through consultations with public-sector organizations and aligned with national development priorities. These include: Public Service Leadership and Governance; Public Sector Reform and Institutional Capacity; Social Sciences and Development Studies; Public Sector Finance and Economics; Digitalization and Public Sector Innovation; Urban Development Studies; and Law and Justice. The roadmap also incorporates cross-cutting themes such as gender, disability inclusion, climate change, environmental sustainability, and public-sector and digital divides. It is aligned with key national and international frameworks, including Digital Ethiopia 2030, the Ten-Year Development Plan, the Home-Grown Economic Reform Programme, the Civil Service Reform Roadmap, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
In conclusion, the presentation underscored EPSU’s commitment to transforming its research system into a more collaborative, interdisciplinary, and policy-oriented institutional framework. It highlighted the potential for strengthening cooperation with PSI by identifying shared national policy questions, pooling institutional expertise and research evidence, and undertaking joint research and knowledge-dissemination initiatives. The proposed partnership was intended to move beyond general institutional engagement towards a focused and practical collaboration agenda addressing nationally important policy and implementation challenges.
Continuing his presentation during the leadership dialogue with the Policy Studies Institute (PSI), Dr. Zerihun Doda Doffana, Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology and Director of Research Affairs at the Ethiopian Public Service University (EPSU), elaborated on the university’s thematic research priorities, institutional governance reforms, research implementation mechanisms, and potential areas of collaboration with PSI.
Dr. Zerihun explained that the seven thematic priorities of EPSU’s Research Roadmap 2026–2035 provide several opportunities for joint research and policy engagement with PSI. He highlighted the first three priorities: Public Service Leadership and Governance, focusing on leadership, institutional accountability, federalism, ethics, citizen engagement, diplomacy, trust, and public-sector legitimacy; Public Sector Reform and Institutional Capacity, addressing service-delivery transformation, civil-service productivity, implementation gaps, institutional learning, and knowledge management; and Social Sciences and Development Studies, covering rural and urban development, employment, vulnerable groups, gender, inclusion, social protection, and human development. He noted that potential collaborative research could examine how governance practices influence policy implementation and service outcomes, identify institutional bottlenecks and assess reform implementation, and evaluate the reach, equity, and effects of development policies.
He further discussed the remaining four thematic priorities: Public Sector Finance and Economics, covering public finance, taxation, procurement, public-private partnerships, and logistics; Digitalization and Public Sector Innovation, focusing on e-governance, artificial intelligence, data governance, and cybersecurity; Urban Development Studies, addressing urban planning, land management, smart cities, and resilience; and Law and Justice, encompassing constitutional law, anti-corruption, access to justice, and data protection. He emphasized that cross-cutting issues, including gender, disability inclusion, climate change, environmental sustainability, and the public-sector and digital divide, should be integrated across all thematic areas.
Regarding institutional complementarity, Dr. Zerihun highlighted the distinct but mutually reinforcing strengths of EPSU and PSI. He explained that EPSU contributes its public-service and governance mandate, experience in civil-service learning and training, tripartite research model, thematic research grants, annual conferences, scientific journals, and institutional frameworks for research, community engagement, and technology transfer. In turn, PSI brings extensive national policy-research and strategic-advisory experience, particularly in macroeconomic policy, finance, trade, industrial development, urban and infrastructure development, agriculture, rural development, poverty, human resources, governance, federalism, the rule of law, environment, and climate policy. He identified a shared institutional space for joint research design, proposal evaluation, scientific peer review, policy seminars, conferences, policy briefs, dissemination, and learning from policy implementation.
The presentation also addressed EPSU’s ongoing reforms in research governance. Dr. Zerihun explained that the university was transitioning from its existing research governance arrangement, which included the Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, the Research Affairs Directorate, the PS Research and Consultancy Centers Directorate, and the CEUILTT Directorate, towards a newly approved structure comprising four specialized directorates. These are the Applied Research Directorate; Research Ethics and Publications Directorate; Partnership and Technology Transfer Directorate; and Community Engagement and Indigenous Knowledge Development Directorate. He noted that the new structure had recently been approved by the Federal Civil Service Commission, with the operational transition still forthcoming. Each directorate is designed to operate through two coordination units, with the overall objective of clarifying responsibilities, strengthening technical competencies, improving results-based accountability, and enhancing engagement with relevant sectors.
On policy and quality assurance, Dr. Zerihun reported that EPSU had undertaken a comprehensive review of its institutional policies and guidelines to strengthen the governance framework for research. He highlighted the recently validated and approved EPSU Tripartite Research Policy, alongside strategic instruments such as the EPSU Research Thematic Roadmap 2026–2035 and the Community Engagement and Technology Transfer Policy. He also outlined implementation guidelines covering tripartite research, proposal submission and evaluation, research ethics, intellectual property rights, researcher incentives and rewards, researcher capacity development, and the use of technology and artificial intelligence in research.
A central feature of the university’s reoriented research approach is the tripartite research model, which brings together academic researchers, public-sector institutions, and students. Dr. Zerihun explained that academic researchers contribute theoretical, methodological, and scientific rigor; public-sector institutions identify practical problems, provide institutional context and evidence, and facilitate the relevance and uptake of research findings; while students participate in data collection, analysis, and implementation, thereby developing practical research competencies for public service. He indicated that PSI could contribute to this model as an institutional partner and source of technical expertise, supporting the production of credible evidence and practical policy outputs.
The presenter further outlined four research implementation modalities adopted by EPSU. These include thematic and interdisciplinary staff-development research grants, which have transitioned towards the tripartite model; public-sector commissioned research addressing operational challenges through project-based funding; national collaborative research involving Ethiopian universities and other institutions; and targeted research grants for female faculty members and students to broaden participation and strengthen research capacity. He identified joint thematic projects, co-designed commissioned studies, and national collaborative research as particularly practical mechanisms for EPSU–PSI cooperation. As an example of existing collaboration, he cited the partnership between EPSU and the University of Gondar focusing on policy-oriented research concerning Fayda (Digital ID) and MESOB integration.
Presenting the university’s 2026/2027 research portfolio, Dr. Zerihun reported that 13 thematic projects initiated in 2025 were scheduled for completion and policy translation during 2026–2027. He also indicated that 44 research proposals had been received for screening, comprising 38 general staff proposals and six female-faculty proposals. In addition, EPSU had secured four project-based research and consultancy engagements through negotiations with public-sector institutions. He noted that two to three flagship research projects were being proposed around pressing government priorities, including work culture in the Ethiopian public sector, implementation gaps in the civil-service reform agenda, and the development of a national human development strategy.
The presentation also highlighted EPSU’s efforts to strengthen digitalization and institutional research memory. Dr. Zerihun explained that the university had introduced an interim publication analytics portal to support staff publication reporting, profile updates, and the monitoring of individual and institutional research productivity and impact. He further noted that a comprehensive Research Information Management System (RIMS) was under development to integrate research information and improve the management, monitoring, reporting, and analysis of institutional research activities. He identified potential areas of collaboration with PSI in exchanging approaches to research tracking, evidence synthesis, and policy dissemination; documenting lessons from major studies and public-sector engagements; and sharing approved methodologies, facilities, and non-sensitive research materials where permitted. He emphasized that institutional memory is an important research asset because it helps prevent duplication, supports longitudinal learning, and makes previous research useful for addressing current policy challenges.
With regard to potential joint research, Dr. Zerihun proposed six broad areas for EPSU–PSI collaboration. These include civil-service reform and performance, focusing on work culture, reform implementation, productivity, and service-delivery outcomes; governance, federalism, and justice, addressing institutional capacity, accountability, the rule of law, anti-corruption, and citizen engagement; human development and social policy, covering social protection, employment, poverty, inclusion, and policy reach among vulnerable groups; public finance and government efficiency, focusing on taxation, procurement, investment prioritization, public-private partnerships, and logistics; digital government and innovation, including Fayda and MESOB integration, digital public services, AI governance, data protection, and cybersecurity; and urban, environmental, and climate governance, addressing urbanization, land management, infrastructure, resilience, and environmental policy implementation.
Finally, the presenter outlined three principal modalities through which the two institutions could operationalize their partnership. The first involved joint research design, including the identification of policy questions with ministries and agencies, formation of interdisciplinary research teams, agreement on methodologies and deliverables, preparation of joint grant applications, and development of policy briefs and academic publications. The second focused on shared expertise and quality assurance through joint pools of proposal evaluators and technical reviewers, scientific manuscript and research report reviews, editorial collaboration, and methodological support in areas such as research ethics, data analysis, and research management. The third involved joint policy dialogue and resource sharing through co-hosted seminars, symposia, and annual conferences, the use of institutional facilities for agreed activities, exchange of institutional experience and non-sensitive research materials, and coordinated dissemination of findings to policymakers and public institutions.
In conclusion, the presentation emphasized that EPSU’s research reorientation provides a strong foundation for a strategic partnership with PSI. It proposed moving towards practical collaboration built around shared thematic priorities, complementary institutional expertise, joint research initiatives, quality assurance, policy dialogue, and the systematic translation of research evidence into improved public-sector performance and national development outcomes.
Dr. Zerihun highlighted reciprocal expert review and peer support as practical entry points for strengthening collaboration between the Ethiopian Public Service University (EPSU) and the Policy Studies Institute (PSI). He explained that EPSU had already been drawing on the expertise of senior academics and practitioners from external institutions, including Addis Ababa University (AAU), Kotebe University of Education (KEU), Adama Science and Technology University (AASTU), and the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), to strengthen the evaluation and quality assurance of its ongoing thematic research. In this regard, he identified several areas where PSI experts could contribute, including the evaluation of thematic research proposals and grant applications, technical review of research reports and policy briefs, and peer review of scientific journal manuscripts, as well as joint editorial services. To operationalize this arrangement, he proposed establishing a joint roster of senior subject experts and research-methodology specialists, matching reviewers with relevant thematic areas, managing potential conflicts of interest, and agreeing on common review templates, timelines, and confidentiality requirements.
Dr. Zerihun also presented a proposed six-month action plan to translate the leadership dialogue into practical institutional collaboration. He proposed that, during the first month, both institutions designate focal persons and map their existing research priorities, projects, and available expertise. In the second month, the institutions would convene a joint scoping session to identify two or three potential research questions and relevant public-sector institutions responsible for the issues under consideration. During the second and third months, the parties would jointly develop concept notes outlining research objectives, methodologies, institutional responsibilities, data requirements, expected outputs, and potential funding or commissioning opportunities. Between the third and fourth months, reciprocal expert review arrangements would be initiated for selected research proposals, reports, or academic manuscripts. Finally, during months four to six, the institutions would aim to organize a joint policy seminar and produce an initial collaborative output, such as an agreed concept note, policy brief, or joint grant proposal. He emphasized that the proposed timeline and deliverables could be adjusted based on the guidance and decisions of the leadership of both institutions.
On the governance of the proposed partnership, Dr. Zerihun underscored the importance of establishing a clear institutional framework to ensure accountability, ethical compliance, and practical policy impact. He proposed developing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that would define six key areas of cooperation. These include clarifying the scope of collaboration, institutional roles, responsibilities, work packages, and decision-making arrangements; establishing requirements for research ethics, informed consent, data access, privacy, security, and confidentiality; agreeing on intellectual property rights, authorship, institutional affiliations, and publication procedures; specifying financial and in-kind contributions, budgets, and the use of institutional facilities and equipment; defining expected outputs, target audiences, dissemination mechanisms, policy-brief formats, and feedback processes; and establishing monitoring arrangements, implementation milestones, quality reviews, documentation, and joint learning mechanisms.
In conclusion, the presenter emphasized that a structured partnership, supported by reciprocal expertise, a realistic action plan, and a clear governance framework, would enable EPSU and PSI to move from institutional dialogue towards tangible collaborative research and policy outputs.