Across the Explore research network in Southeast Asia, teams work in diverse institutional environments, operate across multiple countries and manage funds from international donors. To help them meet these responsibilities with confidence, the Explore Secretariat at RECOFTC delivered a two-part financial management workshop in January and March 2026.
The workshop was designed primarily for four research teams onboarded to Explore in 2025, while also serving as a refresher for seven teams that have been part of the network since 2023. Principal investigators, co-principal investigators and finance officers of various Explore-supported research projects participated in the sessions, reaching around 60 participants in January and 40 in March.
Sirichai Saengcharnchai, Explore’s programme coordinator, and Warun Kmolpun, project finance and administration officer, facilitated the trainings. They guided participants through the practical application of Explore’s subgrant guidelines, with a focus on financial reporting templates, accurate expenditure recording and linking costs to approved budget lines.
Participants discussed audit procurement processes, supporting documentation requirements and administrative procedures, including access to shared resources and expectations for attendance records. Facilitators reinforced key compliance requirements while addressing common implementation challenges. They also covered reporting cycles, currency conversion, documentation standards and other areas critical to improving reporting accuracy and minimizing follow-up queries.
Beyond this workshop, the Explore Secretariat continues to provide one-to-one support – including spot checks of financial documentation and tailored guidance – to help teams align Explore requirements with institutional procedures.
“Sound financial reporting underpins research integrity, strengthens donor confidence and enables teams to track spending, manage cash flow and plan effectively,” says Yufang Su, programme manager of Explore. “By investing in practical financial capacity building, we support the conditions needed for high-quality, accountable forest governance research across the region.”
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Explore is a research network and community of practice dedicated to expanding and applying knowledge on forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia. The network is funded by the government of Sweden. It is hosted by RECOFTC, in partnership with the CIFOR-ICRAF, in collaboration with universities, research institutes, governments, civil society organizations, local communities and the private sector in Southeast Asia.
To learn more about Explore and upcoming learning workshops, contact [email protected] or visit the Explore page. www.recoftc.org/explore
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Utsav Maden is communication and knowledge management officer at RECOFTC.