Research funding across the north-south divide: towards equity in knowledge production

Registration

Welcome

Cathrine Brun (Centre for Lebanese Studies and University of Cambridge)

Hilary Cremin (Faculty of Education  University of Cambridge)

Roula Rifai (IDRC)

Maha Shuayb (Centre for Lebanese Studies and University of Cambridge)

Panel 1: How research funding reproduces inequalities in knowledge production

In the first panel, we will present findings from our ongoing research on funding of forced migration research in the SWANA region and invite two other researchers – or research groups – who work on similar issues in other regions of the Global South to join (online) to present findings regarding research funding.  The panel will take the form of a short presentation of the research conducted on funding of research, followed by an open discussion with  all participants.

Chair and moderator:  Yusuf Sayed (Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge)

Speakers:

‘Understanding the political economy of refugee research’
James Milner and Nadyia Ismaeva (LERRN, University of Carlton)

‘Decolonising knowledge production and research funding in refugee education’
Maha Shuayb, Cyrine Saab, Cathrine Brun (Centre for Lebanese Studies  I University of Cambridge)

‘Funding and inequitable education research productivity: Insights from sub-Saharan Africa’
Samuel Asare (Research Manager, Education Sub-Saharan Africa)

Coffee break

Panel 2: Partnerships across the Global North and South divide

In the second panel, researchers who have worked as partners across the so-called Global North-South divide to introduce their experiences of collaborations and partnerships and discuss how funding helped or impeded equal collaborations.

Chair and moderator: Ricardo Sabates (Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge)

Speakers:

‘Research ethics and North-South partnerships.’
Francine Menashy (University of Toronto)

‘Research subordination to political and financial hegemony in the conflict context’
Rabie Nasser (Syrian Centre for Policy Research)

‘Reflections on researching gender and security in the Global South’
Sahla Aroussi (University of Leeds)

Lunch

Panel 3: Equitable knowledge production:  between funders’ agendas and institutional bureaucracy

The third panel includes funding agencies and research administrators (from universities and research institutions) who will present the work they currently do on changing the structures of funding, what they see as the main challenges in universities and research institutions in terms of creating equity in research collaboration and what changes they think are needed to change current funding structures. We are inviting research administrators into this conversation as they often see the contractual conditions under which partnerships are negotiated and often sit in the middle between researchers’ interests, the institutions they represent and the funders.

Chair and moderator: James Milner (University of Carlton)

Speakers:

‘Donors and decolonization: Back to the future?’
Roula Al Rifai (Senior Program Specialist in the Democratic Inclusive Governance program at Canada’s International Development Research Center (IDRC))

‘Supporting equitable knowledge production through international research funding’.
Stephanie Appleton (British Academy, Deputy Head of International Programmes)

Daniel Wunderlich (Assistant Director for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Non-Schools, and for EU and International Funding, Research Office, University of Cambridge)

Saleem Badat (University of the Free State)

Coffee break

Panel 4: What have we learnt so far and what are our recommendations for change?

The fourth and final panel will start with some short  reflections and a summary o the day by Mezna Qato. We will then organise the participants in groups to discuss the way forward in terms of changing current funding structures to create more equity in knowledge production across the North-South divide. There will be groups in break out rooms on zoom and face-to-face groups in the seminar room. The results of the smaller discussions will be presented to the general group, followed by a general discussion and reflection.

The outcome of the discussions in the groups will be presented in a short brief that will be published by the Centre for Lebanese Studies and the Faculty of Education at Cambridge in collaboration.

Chair and moderator: Mezna Qato (University of Cambridge)