“We’ve tried to make the resources freely and widely accessible so that the whole sector can benefit from them.”
The first toolkit, on improving visa and passport equity, was developed initially with the help of 53 University of Bristol researchers and 22 global South collaborators, and follow-up interviews with eight of the latter and four Bristol academics.
They looked at visa barriers, passport privilege and global academic mobility, discerning six main considerations:
- An equitable global North-South partnership
- Budgeting for visa application costs
- Facilitating documentation to support applications
- Timelines – for travel, preparing letters etc
- Communication – avoiding assumptions, creating feedback channels
- Buffers/alternatives – should a visa not be granted
The toolkit will help researchers think take action to improve equity – everything from using templates for effective invite letters, through to potentially changing the location of a conference to avoid visa discrimination.
The second toolkit is on equitable budget allocation and delves deeply into budget issues. It was developed following interviews with eight academics working in the global South, who together have managed collaborations in 23 countries, with successful grants from 19 funders. One of the three pillars of the toolkit is equitable partnerships, along with systems, and principles/values.
Find out more and download these invaluable, specialist toolkits by visiting the links above.
