The Singapore Internet Research Centre (SiRC) has championed the cause of ICT for Development (ICTD) research with Strengthening ICTD Research Capacity in Asia (SIRCA), a pioneer capacity-building programme that aims to develop the research skills of emerging researchers in the Asia Pacific region. Under SIRCA, a number of experienced scholars served as mentors to principal investigators from all over Asia. Their collaboration has resulted in a range of research findings and lessons learnt which are compiled in this volume. It is divided into three sections, or perspectives: (1) Management Perspectives; (2) Research Perspectives; and (3) Research Outputs.

The first section discusses the inception of the SIRCA programme; opportunities, issues and concerns arising from the implementation, management and evaluation of both the process and the outcomes. The section primarily underscores the need for ICTD research to be more analytical and empirical as opposed to descriptive and anecdotal. It also highlights the importance of rigour and sophistication in ICTD research methodology. The narratives on the management level highlight the relationship of the mentors and PIs, the lessons learnt, and how the programme inspired the PIs to engage in ICT research and practice. The evaluation of the programme describes SIRCA's success in achieving its objectives, as well as recommendations for improvement.

The second section reflects the range of academic traditions represented in the programme through the lens of the research mentors. The section highlights the importance and complexity of key links; that between ICTD theory and praxis, and the links between research, instruction and professional development. However, the practice of ICTD has not yet yielded a straight pathway to theorising either. We often aim to conduct ICTD research inside a “clean room” of research methods — structured, organised, and systematic — yet the reality is one of messy encounters with data gathering and analysis.