Knowledge to Practice (K2Practice)
What is it?
K2PRACTICE (Knowledge to Practice) is the MIF initiative aimed at creating and sharing knowledge for development, using the practical experience of our local partners. In line with the new MIF II mandate, special emphasis is placed on sharing knowledge that assists the private sector, in order to continue driving innovation and replicating successful experiences.
This Initiative aims to build upon the wealth of experience MIF has accumulated over the past 14 years through executing more than 1,000 projects in collaboration with over 800 private sector, civil society and government partners.
What are its objectives?
To develop a system that can identify, organize, validate and disseminate knowledge—both internally and externally—, with particular emphasis on sharing lessons learned in order to strengthen MIF’s laboratory mission and actively promote replicability.
To strengthen our local partners to become real change agents, better able to promote the development of micro and small businesses, while also helping to bridge the gap between local and international knowledge.
What are its components?
- Information Repository: An online information source which, organized on a logical and centralized basis, acts as a virtual information storehouse within the MIF ’s knowledge management system.
- Communities of Practice (MIF Learning Communities): Made up of MIF’s executing agencies and other partners that concentrate on specific topics or countries, with the purpose of encouraging the exchange of experiences, knowledge, and best practices.
- Lessons learned and experiences for replicability: Consists of thematic analysis to identify new ways of replicating projects on a larger scale and in other contexts, through identifying potential partners and retargeting and exploring innovative issues for future projects.
- Adaptation to organizational change: Consists of training and designing formal and informal incentives for MIF staff so that relevant knowledge can be applied more efficiently to new projects.
What are its guiding principles?
- Modular and flexible design that allows for growth based on future needs, incorporating possible evolutions and new uses according to users’ needs.
- Reflection on the practical experiences of the institutions carrying out MIF-financed projects and helping them to interact with international experts and MIF specialists through the Learning Communities, which also work with MIF thematic groups and countries.
- Analysis of completed and evaluated thematic groups of projects to identify new ideas both based on MIF experiences and those from other parts of the world, connecting local and international knowledge.
- Forming alliances that generate innovative knowledge between the private sector, government institutions and civil society in the Americas, Asia and Europe, exchanging experiences to improve MIF initiatives promoting economic growth and poverty reduction through private sector development.
- Constant innovation in either totally new MIF projects or those replicating past successes on a larger scale, by applying the recommendations set out in the project analyses.