As the new REF framework for 2029 is being articulated, with explicit attention given to lessons drawn from the previous round in 2021 and to implications for international research, it’s time to consider what constitutes ‘excellent’ UK-global South collaborative research and impact.
A workshop co-hosted by PARC last June began to consider this question, using the Africa Charter as a lens. The forum brought together around 30 academic and professional colleagues, mostly from the University of Bristol, who were all engaged in research collaborations in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It was chaired by Dr Lucy Series (School for Policy Studies) and kindly funded by the Division of Research, Enterprise and Innovation (DREI).
The exploratory thinking generated – during the workshop and by PARC since then – highlights implications of the Africa Charter, which suggest the importance of rethinking or elaborating present REF benchmarks – in relation to impact, but also to environments and excellence.
Some reflection points
- Should there be a set of benchmarks specifically for UK–global South research collaborations?
In relation to impact:
- What impact is considered valuable and sought, and how and by whom it is claimed?
- To what extent should ‘impact’ that addresses problems as defined in the SDGs be considered valuable in the REF? How can we value impact which addresses Southern priorities that are not encompassed in the global development agenda?
- How could REF explicitly reward positive impacts of collaborations – in terms of better prospects or positioning for the individual Southern researchers and institutions involved?
In relation to excellence:
- Could REF explicitly value collaborations that draw on or generate knowledge frameworks, theoretical ideas and perspectives that provide alternatives to dominant western (Euro-modern) logics?
- Could REF reward collaborative research, which ensures leadership of projects, publications and other outputs by the partners from the ‘South’?
In relation to environments
- How could REF rate institutional contexts where policies have been adjusted to incentivise transformative research collaborations with Southern actors?
Going forward, and connecting with other groups and networks within and beyond the UK that are concerned with refining research assessment frames, we hope to further explore these queries and engage with work on developing REF 29.
The Workshop
Looking forward to REF 29 has prompted us to look back at our workshop with UK-global South collaborators at the University of Bristol. Participants at our June event, who were engaged with a range of partners from across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific and the Middle East, shared their experiences, the challenges and opportunities they experienced in this work, and what support they would like from the University.
Challenges and opportunities
Participants recounted a range of challenges in undertaking impactful research in the global South, and in evidencing impact (particularly for REF).
Benefits of working with global South partners included ‘multicultural exchange’ and better access. Participants noted ways to address some of the issues outlined above, including ‘equity’ in partnership working, and building ‘trust and reciprocity’ – including continuity of reciprocity, even when people leave.
Support from the university
Participants were asked what support they would like from the University to help overcome the challenges. Some of the key things included the need for more multilingual information about REF, due diligence, ethics, contracts, and research funding, plus more training on ‘impact’, including writing case studies (with more examples of REF case studies).
