The Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) and the Center for Evidence-Based Social Science of Lanzhou University (CEBSS-LZU) have partnered to strengthen evaluation capacities in China and across the globe. As part of the collaboration, GEI is supporting CEBSS-LZU's lecture series on evaluation

In June 2025, the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) and the Center for Evidence-Based Social Science of Lanzhou University (CEBSS-LZU) formalized a new partnership aimed at advancing evidence-informed systems and fostering a culture of evaluation in China and globally.

The partnership was officially launched with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Prof. Kehu Yang, Director of CEBSS-LZU, and Lily Chu, Director of Strategy and Operations for the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank. IEG supports evaluation capacity development worldwide, through the work of GEI.

This collaboration will support joint evaluation capacity development activities, promote knowledge exchange and collaborative learning, and strengthen engagement with national and regional evaluation systems.

“Collaboration is so essential to strengthening evaluation systems and practices,” said Dugan Fraser, Program Manager of GEI. “By working together, we’re not just sharing knowledge. We're also building stronger systems that can respond to complex challenges through evidence-informed decisions.”

As part of this collaboration, GEI will support CEBSS-LZU in organizing the third edition of its “Monday Lecture Series,” which will run from September to December 2025. The online lecture series provides a space where students, faculty, and evaluation practitioners both in China and globally can learn from leading evaluation experts from around the world.

“This collaboration marks a significant step toward connecting evaluation actors in China and worldwide through shared learning, mutual support, and a shared commitment to more effective, evidence-informed decision-making,” said Prof. Howard White of CEBSS-LZU. “The partnership with GEI for the Monday lectures will enable the Chinese evaluation community to link with the global evaluation community.”

Photo courtesy of CEBSS-LZU