The Research Division of the Syria Trust for Development (http://research.syriatrust.org) conducts preparatory studies, evaluations, and applied research in support of the Trust’s activities.  The Research Division also initiates external research projects that are of benefit to Syrian society and that are in line with the Trust’s mission.  Our research serves as a basis for sharing information and knowledge related to socioeconomic development in Syria. 

Research Areas:

Rural Development: The Research Division serves the rural development research needs of the Trust by conducting preparatory studies and conceptual analyses on development and empowerment of rural communities. The Division is also developing community-level indicators to assess progress of Trust programmes in meeting their goals. 

Learning & Youth: The Research Division supports the Learning and Youth activities of the Trust primarily by conducting impact evaluations of the Trust’s programmes, such as an ongoing evaluation of SHABAB’s Know about Business (KAB) programme.  The Division has also completed a study of Youth Exclusion in Syria, as part of a regional project initiated by the Brookings Institution and the Dubai School of Government. 

Culture & Heritage: The Research Division is carrying out background research to inform the development of the Trust’s Culture & Heritage activities, including a study on the typology of registered artists in Syria and possible sources of funding for Syrian artists.

Other Research: The Research Division is engaged in projects and studies that are funded by external sources.  In addition to creating knowledge, externally-funded research allows the Division to delve more deeply into broad development issues and to participate in conferences and workshops.  The Division is working on projects covering the themes of female employment and unemployment.  The Division also recently participated in a World Bank project on Improving Labor Market Analysis in Low-Income Countries.

Non-Research Activities:

The Research Division has taken the lead in several knowledge generation and sharing activities.  For example, the Division is helping the Trust to incubate a National Platform for Development-based NGOs in Syria.  The Platform will serve as a forum for exchanging knowledge and experience and as a support center that would help develop the capacity of development-focused NGOs in Syria.

For more information on the activities of the Research Division, please visit us at: http://research.syriatrust.org