Service excellence in action: building equitable research partnerships

26 Jan 2026

To improve collaboration with international institutions and strengthen research impact, the Humanities Research Development and Impact (RDI) team has designed a series of tools for working with partners in the Global South. Chloe Jeffries from the team explains more.

Situation

In recent years, funders and universities have acknowledged the power imbalances in research collaborations, particularly on projects involving non-academic partners or those in the Global South. For example, despite growing research ambition and funding, many African institutions have limited resources for research management. This can often result in inefficiencies and barriers which undermine collaboration and project aims.

Evidencing research impact – the real-world difference the research has made – requires collecting data or testimonials from partners, but some international or small local organisations do not have the infrastructure to respond to multiple requests. Our team is trying to address some of these issues across research funding and impact, with a focus on research management processes.

Action

Supported by British Academy funding, Tshego Seabi from the team is working alongside institutions in Africa to create institution-specific frameworks for research management and develop a practical toolkit to share best practices for cross-border collaborations. These resources are intended to strengthen both grant capture and operational efficiency, directly supporting economic development through improved access to international research funding and capacity building.

The initiative is also in alignment with the University’s Africa Strategy, broadening experience and expertise within our University’s infrastructure to work effectively on projects with partners in the Global South.

Other RDI team members supporting funding bids are developing frameworks for involving partners in all stages of the research project, including its governance. Team members working on impact case studies have led workshops on evidence collection with a focus on working ethically. This includes offering advice about the timing and nature of requests submitted to organisations with limited resources.

Result

Tshego’s British Academy project is developing practical solutions to address long-standing challenges in international research collaboration, such as inefficient administrative processes, limited funding management and inadequate data systems. It also lays the foundation for long-term collaboration with institutions in Africa, promoting knowledge exchange and institutional resilience. The toolkit aims to establish best practices for all those involved in supporting future research projects.

Work on equitable evidence collection builds a strong foundation for excellent impact case studies for REF 2029 but also ensures that these partnerships continue beyond this. We hope that organisations of all sizes and capabilities see Manchester as the university to partner with.

Through this work, we are also demonstrating that research-enabling PS colleagues play a crucial role in research teams and in our University’s research culture.

Want to find out more?

Email Chloe Jeffries to for more information on this project.

Share your service excellence story

If you would like to share your or your team’s example of service excellence, please complete our short form.