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.

More to come.