Hello there, and welcome to GSAN! We are a group of scholars dedicated to building research capacity in the Global South. If you are interested in doing the same, we would love to have you join us.
The Global South Academic Network (GSAN) was founded in 2017 by a group of scholars seeking to expand resources for research in countries that receive foreign development assistance. Originally the idea came about in response to the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID) launch of a £1.5 billion fund to tackle global challenges. This Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) was money redirected from traditional foreign development assistance toward research activities designed to strengthen research capabilities within both the UK and developing countries.
After the fund started launching calls for proposals (CFPs) in 2016, it became clear that all research projects funded by GCRF money would have two main restrictions. First, the principal investigator (also known as the PI or ‘lead investigator’) must be based at a UK institution. Second, there must be some benefit to at least one country that receives Official Development Assistance (ODA).
GSAN is dedicated to the idea that one of the best ways to benefit countries currently receiving development assistance is by enabling their citizens to take charge of their own development by building research capacity, facilitating data collection and scientific training, and ultimately allowing them to choose, design, and direct research to address their own challenges. We pursue this central goal through a variety of means.
- We use this website to connect scholars interested in similar things. Are you a scholar in an OECD member state, looking for a potential partner in the Global South? Or perhaps you are a scholar in the Global South, looking for ways to fund your development as a researcher? You can use this GSAN site to search for potential colleagues. All members are self-registered and eager to discuss common interests. You can search among member profiles for people who research similar things, live in particular areas, or have specialized expertise.
- We are committed to building research capacity in the Global South through partnerships that benefit everyone involved. We facilitate collaborations by giving advice and feedback on grant applications, circulating funding calls via our listserv, and offering suggestions on how to incorporate new colleagues into funding proposals.
- We post blog entries intended to demystify funding norms and procedures that may be new to our members. Look here for advice on how to craft Letters of Support, determine your own budget/costings, write successful conference proposals, and begin co-authorships. If you ever have the need for information we haven’t addressed, feel free to contact us and ask for a blog post on a specific topic or question.
If you are a scholar, teacher, or researcher, be it from an educational institution, public agency, private research group, or third sector organization, you are welcome to register with GSAN.
By joining this network, each GSAN member affirms commitment to the following:
- Academic and research partnerships will endeavour to generate publications with co-authorship that links scholars in the Global South to those in OECD member states.
- Grant applications and funding bids will, whenever possible, seek to acquire funds for scholars from the Global South to:
- Attend international conferences, workshops, and symposia in OECD member states;
- Hire and train research assistants; and
- Receive research training via summer schools, masters programs, and doctoral studentships.
- Collaborations will strive to place scholars from the Global South in positions of management within research projects, such as directing data collection, managing local research efforts, and heading work streams.
- Research teams will uphold international standards for research ethics.
We at GSAN are excited for the possibilities this network can provide. Please register to join us, or contact us with any questions or concerns.
Thank you!