North–South research collaborations: An empirical evaluation against principles of transboundary research

Abstract

Motivation: Transboundary research collaborations (TRCs) are critical in supporting evidence-based actions to address complex global issues, yet there remains a lack of empirical knowledge that would detail how TRCs are organized, how activities are facilitated, and how actors interact. Purpose: We address this knowledge gap by evaluating a North–South TRC against the 11 principles for TRCs defined by the Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE). Methods and approach: Using personal accounts, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews/surveys, our evaluation casts light on how the process of running a TRC in the 21st century is enacted from the perspective of the individual. Findings: Our results and discussion provide the basis for a more probing and systematic case for and against contemporary TRCs, their underlying value structures and ways of working, as well as the dimensions that are lacking. Policy implications: Evaluation of TRCs must include the experience of all the actors involved in the TRC and not only the outcomes they produce; transdisciplinarity cannot be viewed as the only way to solve general development issues, but must be carefully considered in order not to mask underlying issues of inequality and poor ethics; and the ring-fencing of funding for a specific purpose or TRC does not negate the need to scrutinize the activities that are undertaken in the name of the TRC.