This paper argues that successful public policy requires       engaged research developing ideas and evidence from diverse vantage       points. Pakistan’s social science research remains fragmented,       under-resourced and dependent on external agendas. We describe a       five-year pilot programme to enhance Pakistan’s research culture.       Seventy-two crowd-sourced and competitively-selected projects at 46       geographically dispersed institutions were supported. Provincial       universities were empowered and networking with the better-placed       metropolitan institutions proved mutually beneficial to scholarship.       Substantial research outputs were completed in important areas of       policy. We conclude that such multi-year commitments to review and       network engagement are vital to strengthening policy capacity. Keywords:       Pakistan, Research Community, Social Sciences, Networking, Competitive       Grants