New tools and data on funding flows to better position research institutions in the Global South

 

At the heart of the work of science granting councils in the Global South is directing research funds towards pressing national and regional policy objectives. This includes advocating for more government funding, leveraging resources through partnerships and navigating a complex landscape of donors and multilateral agencies that can fund research in the Global South. This is at the core of their ability to increase their autonomy and to strengthen national science systems by demonstrating that their investments achieve value for money, target underserved topics and populations, and reflect strategic decisions on priorities. Enhanced capacity in this regard can improve visibility and policy influence at the national and regional levels, but research funding and performing organizations face a perennial lack of data and difficulties in demonstrating the importance of their work within a global context.

This project thus aims to improve transparency in the distribution of research funding in the world, with a focus on global inequalities. Through an analysis of funding flows and the development of a new tool to track funding, the project will identify inequalities and opportunities for more appropriate and fairer allocation, highlighting patterns that perpetuate the exclusion of Global South institutions from international science. The approach combines qualitative interviews on policy needs with quantitative analysis and policy events with key actors, along with the development of infographics that will illustrate the distribution of funds and their beneficiaries. Participation and collaboration of a network of institutions from different regions in the project will ensure that various regional voices are integrated into the research, maximizing the impact of the results. The project’s findings are expected to influence science funding policies, promoting more inclusive and equitable approaches to funding. This will ultimately enable Global South institutions to close the gaps in global knowledge production.