Research is important for the progress of societies. It plays a fundamental role in generating evidence and creating new knowledge. For humanitarian action, having this solid evidence base helps us to understand what is and is not working and to take decisions accordingly, hence its vital importance.

In this chapter we will see how this evidence provides the knowledge we need to tailor our programmes and intervention models to the needs of the populations we work with, enabling us to develop effective solutions to boost our operational capacity. In addition, generating evidence helps us to make informed decisions and evolve our interventions to increase their quality, impact and effectiveness. For this reason, research must be fully integrated into the operational planning and project cycle and must be useful and relevant to the communities we work with.