In 1986, ISNAR initiated a major study on the organization and management of on-farm, client-oriented research (OFCOR) in national agricultural research systems (NARS). OFCOR is a research approach designed to help research meet the needs of specific clients, most commonly resource-poor farmers. It depends upon experiment station research and involves a client-oriented philosophy so that farmers are directly involved in various stages in the process. The objective of this study was to analyze the critical organizational and managerial factors that influence the way national research institutes can develop and sustain OFCOR programs to realize their specific policies and goals.