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TRAINING (2.5.1)
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This Guide supports research partners to develop ethically sound, efficient and effective partnerships.

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About this Guide

The Guide for Global Research Partnerships (2025) is a comprehensive revision of the Guide for Transboundary Research Partnerships (1998, 2012, 2018). The purpose of the revision was to adapt the Guide to current realities and requirements, thus ensuring its continued relevance for individuals and institutions involved in global research collaborations.

The Guide was originally developed in 1998, four years after the founding of the Swiss Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (also known by its German-language acronym, KFPE). As a guide for research in partnership with low- and middle-income countries, it long served as a central reference for promoting fair and equitable research practices. The second and third editions, published in 2012 and 2018 respectively, also enjoyed widespread use by researchers, higher education institutions, and funders in Switzerland and abroad. Since then, the landscape of research partnerships has further evolved. Discussions around decolonizing research, artificial intelligence, and funding mechanisms have opened up new fields of reflection, prompting a need to revisit the Guide’s content and structure. The KFPE, too, has evolved, starting this project in 2024 and completing it in 2025 under its new name – Swiss Alliance for Global Research Partnerships (GRP Alliance).

The revision process was designed to be participatory and inclusive. Our goal was to produce a document that reflects the experiences and needs of a broad range of actors, both in Switzerland and around the world. We approached the process through multiple avenues, reviewing existing tools, comparable guides, and academic literature on research partnerships; conducting expert interviews; hosting workshops; and consolidating input from partner organizations and associates who supported the process.

The literature review encompassed over 80 sources on global research partnerships, including academic articles, reference materials, tools, websites, charters, and other guides.

Assisted by the educational organization Movendo, we designed and facilitated a series of workshops with diverse stakeholder groups:

  • 25 May 2024: Participants of the GRP Alliance annual conference (online)
  • 23 August 2024: GRP Alliance Steering Board (in-person)
  • 19 September 2024: Researchers and project coordinators (online)
  • 27 September 2024: Principal investigators and heads of research organizations (online)
  • 31 October 2024: Practitioners from partner organizations and implementing institutions (online)
  • 26 November 2024: Experts in global research collaboration (online)
  • 3 December 2024: Representatives of KFPE-associated organizations (in-person)
  • 4 December 2024: GRP Alliance Advisory Board

These workshops provided space for critical reflection on the Guide’s role in supporting sustainable and equitable research partnerships. Overall, 150 participants discussed challenges and opportunities, and contributed ideas for improving the Guide’s structure, language, and content.

In addition to the workshops, we conducted an open online survey over four months to gather broader input.

For specific questions, we consulted experts who have worked with the Guide for many years.

A key element of the revision was an analysis of the previous Guides from the perspectives of partners in the Global South. The analysis was led by researchers from the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern and its international network. The resulting report, Insights from the Global South for the Revision of the KFPE Guide, highlights important considerations such as contextual awareness and conflict sensitivity, and draws connections to adjacent fields that influence research partnerships and capacity development. These insights formed a substantial basis for the revision.

Consolidating the draft of the revised Guide was particularly important. More than 50 experts, practitioners, and researchers reviewed the revised draft and provided detailed and constructive feedback, which helped refine the final version. Throughout the process, it became clear that the revision involved multiple dimensions, including terminology, format, relevance, adaptability, and content. Partners also emphasized the importance of systematically collecting and sharing materials, academic literature, and practical tools that have emerged in this field.

The Guide for Global Research Partnerships is the result of a collaboration of more than 200 colleagues who contributed their time, expertise, and experience. It reflects a collective demand and effort to strengthen the foundations of global research partnerships.

The online version of the Guide is designed to continue evolving. This format offers the possibility of expanding the resource with new materials, tools, and articles. We welcome contributions that help deepen the discussion or provide concrete examples from practice.

Acknowledgements

Dr Elisabeth Schubiger and Dr Fabian Käser (GRP Alliance), coordinated the revision and wrote the revised Guide.

Sara Frey, Dr Zar Chi Aye, and Dr Lara M. Lundsgaard-Hansen (Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern) coordinated the Insights from the Global South for the Revision of the KFPE Guide report.

Therese Höchli (Movendo) co-developed and co-hosted the interactive workshops.

Tina Hirschbuehl (Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern) language edited the Guide.

Nora Bartolome (EMPA), Carlos Hernandez Santana (UNIDO), Mirko Winkler (Swiss TPH), Rocío Robinson-Wiedemann (University of St.Gallen) kindely shared examples on how they addressed a specific principle in practice.

Amenra Blamo (GRP Alliance), Kristina Pelikan and Jakob Zinsstag (SwissTPH and University of Basel), Urs Wiesmann (CDE, University of Bern), Francesco Obino (Global Development Network) elaborated specific topics in-depth.

Experts, researchers and practitioners from the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA); Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (HAFL); Biovision Foundation; Chigoto Tanzania; Community of Cooperation (KoGe); Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED); Danida Fellowship Centre; École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL); European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI); Finnish Åbo Akademi University; Fondation Botnar; Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID); German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS); German National Commission for UNESCO; Helvetas; Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), Service de Médecine Internationale et Humanitaire; Institut für internationale Zusammenarbeit in Bildungsfragen (IZB), Pädagogische Hochschule Zug (PH Zug); International Development Research Centre (IDRC); Kenya National Defence University; Kenya Public Space Network; Liechtensteinischer Entwicklungsdienst (LED); Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF); Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation (Norec); Renewable Energy Promotion in International Cooperation (REPIC); Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL); Schweizer Netzwerk für Bildung und internationale Zusammenarbeit (REPCI); Schweizerische Allianz für nachhaltige globale Ernährung (SUFOSEC); Solidarmed; State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI); Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI); Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), Network for Transdisciplinary Research (TDNet), Sustainability Research Initiative (SRI); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC); Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag); Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zürich), Center for Development and Cooperation NADEL; Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA); Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF); Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS); Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH); Swiss UNESCO Commission; Swiss Universities Development and Cooperation Network (SUDAC); Swisspeace; Swissnex; UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR); University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI); University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO); University of Basel, Department of Clinical Research, Centre for African Studies Basel (ZASB); University of Bern: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), Institute of Geography, Unit of Social Anthropology; University of Eastern Finland (Finland); University of Fribourg; University of Geneva; University of Lausanne; University of Sierra Leone, Fourah Bay College; University of St. Gallen; University of Zurich; University of York; Wellcome Trust; Vivamosmejor; Wyss Academy for Nature; Zambia Copperbelt University, Dag Hammarskjöld Institute for Peace Studies contributed to the revision of the Guide.

This Guide is a product of the Swiss Academy of Science (SCNAT) Alliance for Global Research Partnerships (GRP Alliance).

Recommended form of citation:
Swiss Alliance for Global Research Partnerships (2025) Guide for Global Research Partnerships. grp-guide.ch.

Do you have an example of how you implemented a specific principle, dealth with challenges or is there need for topics to be elaborated in depth? Any other feedback?

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