While the various projects of the 2004 Investment Plan constitute a substantial portion of the Program's efforts towards achieving a more unified, more effective, borderless CGIAR, there are other important Program activities that are part of our work in achieving this goal.

The following activities are coordinated by the CIO office: ICT-KM Program Evaluation; Negotiating Economies of Scale; Nurturing Connections; and Technical Developments.

The Program Evaluation documents the degree to which the Program contributes to changes in the CGIAR System, monitors the evolution of the Program and, ultimately, contributes to the review of the whole ICT-KM Program Strategy three years after its launch.

Coordinated with individual projects, the Program Evaluation assists them in the development and implementation of their own internal evaluation plans.

By applying a utilization-focused approach, the Program Evaluation documents and assesses who and what is changing, why, in what dimensions and with what result or outcome. The evaluation, which is planned from the outset, is incorporated into ongoing data collection and reporting activities. As a consequence, it provides insights for guiding change and also facilitates continuous learning. Major stakeholders are included in the evaluation to better ensure that results are used in subsequent decision-making processes.

The Program is implementing this activity in collaboration with the International Development Research Center's Evaluation Unit.

The Program identifies and pursues possibilities of system-wide agreements that can help achieve savings, both economic and administrative, for the CGIAR System.

An ongoing function of the CIO and the Program is to nurture individuals and communities of practice and to make connections of mutual benefit both within and beyond the CGIAR System.