News and information on science and global development
For the first time, a new digital map comprehensively shows Switzerland's diverse research partnerships with institutions in developing and transition countries. With such research partnerships, Switzerland contributes to dealing with global challenges and their local impact. The map makes it easier to use synergies, better identify focal points of cooperation and enter into new partnerships. It is freely accessible to all.
Image: SCNATThis publication analyses opportunities and risks of transdisciplinary research partnerships with business and civil society in the North-South context. Such partnerships are in many cases crucial for impactful research and need to be implemented cautious and strategic. Well implemented partnerships enhance the practical relevance of research and the uptake of results, they provide access to additional data and networks but they also entail the risk of undermining scientific rigour and independence, and they increase the complexity of a research project and power-imbalances. This analysis provides some practical information and orientation for researchers and funding institutions in Switzerland on these opportunities and risks. The publication is the result of a literature review and a stakeholder dialogue with researchers and research-funders.
The call offers project grants for pluri-disciplinary teams working on international studies. Application deadline is 20 January 2022.
The SOR4D programme supports transdisciplinary research in collaboration with developing countries. It will run from 2022 to 2026.
Image: SNF
Switzerland has supported successful and egalitarian North-South research cooperation for over 25 years. A project in Cameroon illustrates how mutual trust and long-term collaboration are at the heart of this approach.
Image: © EPFL
A cooperation between Uzbek and Swiss professors on climate change, water, medicine and tourism started in 2017 on the initiative of Olimjon Saidmamatov. Over the years it evolved successfully and produced various outputs.
EADI Blog by Katarzyna Cieslik, Shreya Sinha, Cees Leeuwis, Tania Eulalia Martínez-Cruz, Nivedita Narain and Bhaskar Vira
The current issue of the SDC's "One World" magazine focuses on the role of research in international cooperation.
“What really hurt, is when the world is faced with a global threat like Omicron: The way you defeat a threat like this, is to stand together, to work together, to join hands and to deal with the threat head on. We should be building bridges, not barriers”
Representing over 1,100 universities in Europe, 20 National Rectors’ Conferences and the European University Association are urging the European Union and Member States to make substantial investments in the research capacities of African universities a key component of the new strategic partnership between the African Union and the EU.
In the Global Health Matters podcast, host Garry Aslanyan is joined by some of the world's leading scientists and health experts who share experiences and views on different aspects of global health research, with a focus on low- and middle-income country perspectives.
Erkenntnisse aus dem Faktenblatt "Kleiner Staat, Grosse Unternehmen" und dem Bericht "Nachhaltiges Unternehmenshandeln in Ländern des globalen Südens" sind in den Wikipedia-Eintrag zu Unternehmensverantwortung eingeflossen.
Co-creation of research knowledge between academics and non-academic stakeholders, contributes to sustainable development and societal transformation. Based on a survey conducted among 43 international research partnership projects, this policy brief recommend an active engagement with non-academic actors, especially from vulnerable groups and local enterprises, from the start of a research endeavour.
Research that takes a pro-active role in bridging science and practice holds promise to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. While passing on best practices outside of academia, inspiration can be drawn from pressing global challenges. Using Swiss research institutions that maintain partnerships with low- and middle-income countries as a case study, the purpose of this study was to identify synergies between research and services for development (R&S4D).
Wie schweizerische KMU dieses Ziel zu erreichen versuchen und der Bund sie darin (noch) besser unterstützen könnte. Erkenntnisse aus einem Stakeholder-Dialog der KFPE.
Primary data collection in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) is associated with a range of ethical complexities. Considerations on how to adequately ensure the well-being of research staff are largely neglected in contemporary ethics discourse. This systematic review aims to identify the ethical challenges that research staff across different hierarchical levels and scientific disciplines face when conducting research in LMICs.
UKCDR and ESSENCE launched a new Equitable Partnerships Resource Hub, which brings together guidance, tools and principles on equitable partnerships from across the world.
This article spans issues of international student mobility, inequalities in higher education, and spaces for transformative learning for sustainable development.
Based on insight generated from Swiss academic and research entities, this Policy Brief aims to highlight the importance of bringing R&S4D closer, at research entities in Switzerland and elsewhere, and how to go about doing it.
The Swiss Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE) recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. This milestone affords us the opportunity to look back on – and take stock of – the commission’s experiences, as they may hold important lessons for the future.
The fair research contracting self-assessment tool supports institutions to engage in fair and equitable negotiation processes for formal contracts despite recognised imbalances in institutional contracting capacities.
Switzerland is small, rich, and profits greatly from globalization. Consequently, it is under growing international and public pressure from those who wish to make the world economy “fairer” and “more sustainable” by means of transnational rules.
For millennia, humankind’s food security and resilience were ensured by thousands of cultivated plant species, dozens of domesticated animal species, and the wider biodiversity from which they derive. But with the expansion of industrial agriculture and globalized standardized food systems, this long-running agricultural biodiversity has fallen steeply. Today, just three plant species account for half of all plant-based food calories, and only four animal species account for the vast majority of meat supplies. Looking ahead, restoring agrobiodiversity – the richness of what we cultivate, breed, consume, and conserve in the wild – is crucial to ensure resilient food systems against the backdrop of climate change. In particular, we must safeguard the livelihoods of the “guardians of agrobiodiversity”: approximately 500 million small farms across the world – particularly those in the global South. This factsheet outlines causes and consequences of agrobiodiversity loss, areas of promise, and options for policy and research.
Doing research in conflict contexts is crucial. But how do you best conduct research in conflict-affected contexts? These guidelines are designed for all levels of researchers – from research student to professor – who conduct research in settings that are conflict-affected.
