This guidance has been developed to support the deepening of authentic partnerships in research for development.  It is a contribution to locally-held development research and practice through the frame of creating authentic partnerships.

The central reflections and insights emerged as an outcome of a two-day symposium convened at the University of Canberra in July 2025, with researchers, policy makers, funders, private sector and civil society partners from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Pakistan and Australia.  In developing this resource, we have connected these insights with contemporary academic, policy and practitioner literature on international development research partnerships, and found that they are deeply resonant. 

The intended audience for this guideline is policy makers, researchers and institutions in the R4D ecosystem. These principles and tools sit as a connected contribution, ready for individual researchers and institutions to build upon and from them, in their research.

This guide critically examines dynamics present in research partnerships in international development, including the experience of power imbalances throughout the research journey.  In reflecting on barriers and enablers to partnerships in research for development, the guide surfaces and establishes guiding principles that can inform future research. These principles are accompanied by practical tools that can be adapted to support research international development collaborations shift research practice, and create and deepen authentic research partnerships.

This is an initiative of the UC Research for Development (UCR4D) Network and the Centre for Environmental Governance.

The Guidebook

Genuine partnerships that respect and prioritise equitable collaboration across all phases of research are critical to ensure that research for development (R4D) drives positive international development outcomes. In this guidance document we present Principles for Authentic Partnerships in R4D (the Principles) to guide researchers, community partners, funding bodies and policy makers on what constitutes an authentic partnership and how to achieve authentic partnerships. These Principles and associated implementation guidelines draw on insights from researchers, community partners and funders, together with the academic literature, published policy documents and existing guidelines supporting effective partnerships in research for development. They are a contribution to deepening locally-led development research practice and collaborations.

Templates

Microsoft Word versions

PDF versions

Creating Authentic Partnerships (CAP) Background Brief

This Background Brief accompanies Resetting the Nexus: Creating Authentic Partnerships for Research in Development Guidance and its principles, tools and templates, which was co-created by members of the UCR4D Network after the Creating Authentic Partnerships in Research for Development Workshop in July 2025. The Brief outlines current challenges identified in the literature regarding authentic research partnerships in international development. It explores questions of power, inequality across the research continuum, from priority setting and design choices, to funding allocation and outcomes dissemination, providing actions forward for authentic partnerships in research for development.