Reporting | The Norman E. Borlaug Leadership Enhancement in Agriculture Program

Final Reporting Guidelines

At the conclusion of the Borlaug LEAP Fellowship, the US Mentor and his/her institution are required to submit a Final Report. It is expected that the Final Report will be a joint effort of the US Mentor, student and CG Mentor. The Final Report will be comprised of three components:

Final Financial Report

Due: Within 45 days of the subgrant end date
Submitted by: US University financial office
Form: Standard Borlaug LEAP Invoice form with FINAL indicated in date box and leveraged funding form provided

Final Administrative/Technical Report

Due: Within 45 days of the subgrant end date
Submitted by: US Mentor
Form: Microsoft Word document in format described below

Research Brief

Due: Within 90 days of subgrant end date OR on a timetable mutually agreed upon by the Borlaug LEAP administrative office at UC Davis and the US Mentor.
Submitted by: US Mentor and Fellow
Form: Microsoft Word document in format described below. Figures/Graphs in Excel or PDF as described below.

A full description of each component of the final report is provided below:

Final Financial Report
All invoices must be submitted in addition to a final invoice itemizing all charges within 45 days of the completion of the Fellowship. The invoices must be signed by the appropriate official of the grantee US University. A final report must be filed documenting all leveraged funding received during the course of the award period. Leveraged funding should include all forgone indirect.

Final Administrative/Technical Report
The final administrative/technical report must be submitted within 45 days of the completion of the Fellowship. The report is a collaborative effort done by the student, the US mentor and the CGIAR mentor. The outline for the report is as follows:

Introduction
The report should begin with a description of the student’s educational status and his/her university affiliation. This should be followed by a brief statement of the research topic and the roles of the mentors and their relationships to the student’s research. It should include the locations where the research was conducted and how the Fellowship enhanced the student’s research and enabled the student to strengthen collaborations in his/her field.

Achievements During the Fellowship
This section outlines the milestones achieved during the Fellowship period. It should include dates of completion of data analysis, completion of drafts of the dissertation paper, visits to field sites, time spent working at CGIAR centers, presentations of work at workshops and seminars, attendance of conferences, and submissions for publication.

Perspective of US Mentor
The US Mentor should provide a statement summarizing the Borlaug LEAP experience from his/her perspective. This section could include a brief description of how the research was enhanced, how the student and US mentor have benefited and any collaborations or partnerships that were formed during the course of the Fellowship.

Perspective of the CGIAR Mentor
The CGIAR Mentor should provide a statement summarizing the Borlaug LEAP experience from his/her perspective. This section could include a brief description of how the research was enhanced, how the student and CG mentor have benefited and any collaborations or partnerships that were formed during the course of the Fellowship.

Perspective of the Fellow
The Fellow should describe any new perspectives he/she has developed as a result of his/her research supported by the Fellowship. He/she should list skills, capabilities, competencies or expertise he/she has developed in the course of this program.

Summary of Key Technical Findings and Conclusions
This portion will outline the major technical findings of the research, if any. Please briefly describe the methods of research, what type of data or evidence was used, and what method of analysis was used. Substantive results and conclusions of your research should also be included if available. If data is still in the process of being analyzed, please provide a summary of the status of the research.

Publications and Presentations by the Fellow
Please list all articles, books and presentations you have completed which are related to your Fellowship work. Be sure to include others that are still in progress.

Future Plans of the Fellow
Please describe your future plans. Indicate how you envision the results of your research will be used by others. Provide a projection of how the Borlaug Fellowship experience will enhance your contribution to agriculture in your home country.

Research Brief
The Research Brief, as the name implies, should be brief and report on research topics of interest to development agencies. All topics should be discussed with the US Mentor prior to starting on the brief. The Research Brief will be published.

Purpose
When preparing your research brief, please remember that the brief is intended for a lay audience – it will be used to inform USAID officials, policymakers, and other government, non-government or development professionals about the value of your research and its implications for development policy. Summarize your critical results and explain their policy implications. Why does this research matter? A good question to keep in mind is: if someone who knew nothing about your project read the brief, would they (a) know what the project is trying to accomplish? (b) know why your research is important?

Length
The brief should be between 1500 - 2500 words total. The word count will depend on whether or not you include graphs/charts. Two to four graphs/charts should be the maximum. The outline for the brief is as follows:

Content
Summary (200 word abstract)

This should be a summary of the important findings of the study.

Background

Very brief background on the problem or study.

Major Findings (or preliminary findings)

Most important findings from the research study.

Practical Implications

What do the results mean in practical terms?