Partnership Working in IGDC

One of the key focuses of the recent World Conference on Research Integrity was to establish a statement that will offer guidance on how researchers from low- and middle-income countries can become equal partners in international projects. You can read more about the challenges faced and possible solutions in this coverage in Nature on Equity in Global Collaborations.

Integrity is one of IGDC’s core values, alongside inclusivity, responsibility and sustainability. For IGDC, inclusivity means an openness to a diverse range of voices and needs. With this comes the responsibility to try to eliminate barriers to representation and participation. Our commitment to sustainability means that we look at the impact of our own actions on the livelihood of others and of future generations. Our core value of integrity challenges us to be consistent in applying the same principles which we apply to others, to ourselves. We strive to reflect this in the partnerships we form as working in collaboration with others is integral to all of these values.

Learning from our experience of working with partners and liaising with the UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) on the subject, we have put together our experiences and findings into a formal Guide to Inclusive Research (PDF , 704kb) which is now published on the new Working Papers & Briefings section of our website. The guide aims to help researchers in the ‘global North’ consider how they can best work alongside ‘global South’ partners in organising and conducting research, from the conception of ideas to the delivery of impact and outputs, in order to uphold as well as promote and champion the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion.

The guide recognises the importance of inclusiveness at all stages of research:

1. Conceptualising the research project

2. Establishing the project team

3. Developing research methodology

4. Conducting field work

5. Producing outputs

6. Generating impact