Last year the Humanitarian Emergency Response Review (HERR) called for humanitarian action to be underpinned by evidence and highlighted the need for more systematic and rigorous applied research. However, in order to build this body of evidence and ensure that practitioners can access and apply it, humanitarians and academics need to work in partnership.

But what are the key ingredients to an effective partnership between humanitarians and academics? What are the pitfalls and at what stage does it make sense to introduce certain activities or actors?

ELRHA (Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance) commissioned a study last year to answer this question. In addition to identifying the obstacles to partnership and how these can be overcome, the study report highlights a number of examples where effective partnerships between academics and practitioners have yielded results which have had a direct positive impact on vulnerable communities. The report has also been translated into an "Online Guide to Effective Partnerships" with an Android Application for use in poor coverage areas.

This event, hosted by the Humanitarian Practice Network at ODI, launches ELRHA's study report "Effective academic-humanitarian collaboration: A practical resource to support academic and humanitarian organisations working together". There will be a panel discussion around the value of partnerships, a presentation from one of the case studies and a demonstration of how to use the Online Guide.