What makes development oriented research partnerships effective? -> Looking back to move forward
Research partnerships are meaningful when partners can expect significant added value from their collaboration. Successful partnerships are based on mutual interests, trust and a shared vision. Partners are confronted with various challenges such as defining the agenda and responsibilities together, dealing with different expectations and goals, communicating across a variety of epistemological borders, strengthening capacity, finding adequate funding – to list the most important ones mentioned in the literature.
This session focussed on experience with North-South and South-South research partnerships, and envisioned ways ahead to strengthen such partnerships. The presenters addressed the following questions:
- How was the added value of the research partnership defined in your case? What approach was chosen, what processes were defined, and what methods or tools used to implement them?
- What worked (enabling factors)?
- What did not work (hindering factors) and why?
In addition, suggestions for responding to other challenges – such as funding, asymmetries, conflicting expectations and goals, etc. – were made
