Actors – Stakeholders – Partners

October, 2025
By Elisabeth Schubiger and Fabian Käser

In the Guide we use different terms to describe individuals, groups or organisations that are involved in or affected by Global Research Partnerships:

Research Partners
Research partners are organisations, consortia or individual researchers and practitioners who engage in joint research activities within a collaborative framework. Research partners pool their resources, knowledge, and skills to achieve scientific or societal objectives. They engage as co-producers of knowledge and share accountability for the scientific integrity, quality, and ethical conduct of the research. Research partnerships are typically formalised through agreements or collaborative frameworks, ensuring shared responsibility, recognition, and integrity in the co-production of knowledge.

In the Guide the terms “research partners”, “project partners” and “partners” are used synonymously.

Strategic Partners
Strategic partners are organisations, consortia or individuals brought into a research project for their specific expertise, resources or position, to fulfil a particular task that enhances the strategic scope, effectiveness or reach of the research. Their engagement is often task-specific, complementary, and may lie outside the core research operations (e.g., a communication agency, a policy-advisory consultancy, a data-management specialist). Unlike research partners (who are co-producers of knowledge), strategic partners are typically engaged for a defined specialist role and bring strategic value (e.g., access to networks, expertise in knowledge translation, stakeholder engagement or implementation support).

Stakeholders
Stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organisations that have an interest (“stake”) in or are affected by the objectives, processes, or outcomes of research. They include public authorities, private entities, civil society organisations, and communities. Stakeholders may influence research agendas, contribute to or benefit from research outcomes, and can be directly or indirectly affected by the implementation of research results.

Participants
Participants are individuals, groups, or communities who take part in a research process, primarily as sources or contributors of information, experiences, or perspectives. Their involvement may range from providing data through interviews, surveys, or experiments to engaging in participatory or co-creative research activities. Participants contribute essential contextual and experiential knowledge that enriches the research, while researchers bear responsibility for ensuring their informed consent, protection, and respectful engagement throughout the process.

Actors
Actors are individuals, groups or organisations that participate in, influence, or are influenced by a research process. The term denotes all relevant entities within a given research, teaching or innovation ecosystem, regardless of their specific role, interest, or formal involvement. As an umbrella term it encompasses partners, stakeholders, and participants engaged in or affected by research, teaching and innovation activities.