In 1981, two CGIAR member institutes—the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the former International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR)—initiated a joint venture on agricultural R&D data indicators with the publication of the best available data from secondary sources for an ad hoc group of national agricultural research systems. In 1984, ISNAR launched its “Indicator Series Project,” carrying out extensive surveys in all developing countries and combining the results with secondary data to produce a fully sourced, 154-country sample of research investment indicators for the period 1961–85. Substantial effort was taken to ensure that the coverage and treatment of these data were consistent over time and among countries. During 1993–97, ISNAR instigated a second round of data collection to delve below the national aggregate statistics and compile agency-specific data on R&D expenditures, staffing, research orientation, and so on. At this t