Ensuring Safety and Research Continuity: Lessons from a Global Development Evaluation during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped field-based research across disciplines and sectors of global development work. The flexibility of research methods allows for continued work, even in extemporaneous circumstances. Taking lessons from the Pulte Institute for Global Development’s work in Uganda during the pandemic–in which it balanced the use of telecommunications technology and global understandings of COVID-19 at the time to ensure safe data collection–informed policies on how best to conduct development research when biological disasters occur. Based on their work in Uganda, Pulte Institute researchers recommend six main actions to ensure research continuity, especially in rural areas.