To improve the performance of agricultural research, many international and national research organisations have embarked on impact assessment exercises. These exercises have estimated technology adoption and economic rates of return to research investments. Such exercises in ICAR have contributed to accountability, and provided evidence on whether public funds have been spent judiciously. However, for evaluation to be effective, it must encompass both accountability and learning objectives. It appears that less emphasis has been given to the latter. Hall et al (2003a) state that impact assessment efforts (in international research arenas) have not yielded desired results because of the weak diagnostic power of commonly used impact assessment techniques. These techniques fail to recognise research as a complex process of interactions shaped by the habits and practices of those involved which are critical for improving research performance. This policy brief sets out the conceptual and empirical underpinnings of a learning-orientated monitoring and evaluation approach known as Institutional Learning and Change (ILAC) and discusses options for learning-oriented interventions and policy research. This approach is being pioneered by a number of CGIAR centres (see Watts et al 2003) and by NCAP and its partners, building on their earlier work that locates research efforts in the framework of an innovation system (see Hall et al 2003b).