Marry for love or pair up strategically? The dilemma faced by Jane Austen¡¯²õ heroines is also one that academics seeking the right research collaborator will recognise: seek out a scholar from a big-name Western university and enjoy name recognition and institutional support, or join forces with a better suited researcher at a less starry institution outside the Global North?

Despite the economic incentives often pushing institutions towards assortative matching ¨C the tendency to choose partners of similar standing ¨C some institutions, however, have?made a conscious choice to collaborate on research projects with universities in middle- to lower-income countries. ?

Such tie-ups can prove expensive and technically complex ¨C and probably won¡¯t yield the glamorous Nature paper or a patent worth millions of pounds in future institutional revenues?¨C but they deliver huge benefits to communities not otherwise served by a research university, explained Eileen Wall, head of research at SRUC (Scotland¡¯²õ Rural College), on her institution¡¯²õ push for more collaborations with researchers in the Global South.

¡°Frankly it is fundamentally and ethically the right thing to do,¡± said Wall, a professor of integrative livestock genetics, on her institution¡¯²õ pivot towards working with collaborators in lower-income countries.

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¡°If you look at us 10 years ago our internationally co-authored papers were generally with researchers from the US, Europe or Australia but we¡¯ve proactively sought to support those from sub-Saharan Africa or south-east Asia, usually in areas around animal genetics and animal management,¡± she said.

A large impetus was the UK government¡¯²õ Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), a ?1.6 billion aid-funded initiative that ran from 2016 and 2021, which helped the institution to build on individual collaborations run by researchers, continued Wall. But the strategic focus has continued long after GCRF money disappeared, she said.

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¡°We are not a high science ¡®ivory tower¡¯ research institution ¨C our research has always been very applied and we¡¯ve been able to find those problems that affect Scottish farming and ask what barriers ¨C behavioural, economic or institutional ¨C might stop the results of our research from being applied elsewhere,¡± explained Wall on how scholars have approached partnerships with Africa-based researchers.

¡°In some sense, this work is in our DNA but it¡¯²õ not easy to do,¡± added Wall on the financial constraints about pursuing these partnerships. ¡°The returns are very long-term ¨C from things like impact in the Research Excellence Framework ¨C so it needs to be part of a wider portfolio of research with a more commercial focus,¡± she said.

One pay-off from such socially useful research is now recognition from ̽»¨ÊÓƵ¡¯²õ Impact Rankings ¨C recently relaunched as the?Sustainability Impact Ratings?¨C which seek to reward activity aligned with the United Nations¡¯ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On the final goal related to purposeful research partnerships, SRUC scored higher than any other UK institution when it came to research co-authored with low- or lower middle-income countries.

Without funding drivers such as the UK¡¯²õ GCRF or equivalent schemes, such as those run by America¡¯²õ USAID, and with greater attention paid to the national strategic advantage from research, it is harder to justify this kind of intentional research outreach, reflected Sibrandes Poppema, president of Malaysia¡¯²õ Sunway University, and previously president of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

¡°It is viewed by some European universities ¨C particularly those under financial pressure ¨C as an unnecessary luxury,¡± he said.

At his own institution ¨C a private research university established by real estate tycoon Jeffrey Cheah in 2004 and now one of Malaysia¡¯²õ top ranked universities in the THE?World University Rankings?¨C researchers are explicitly encouraged to think about how their studies aligns to the UN¡¯²õ SDGs, said Poppema.

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¡°All of our staff have been trained to think about SDGs and make sure their research focuses on at least one goal,¡± he said, noting that this focus on working on practical solutions? with those in low-income countries has not stopped their work being well received in leading journals.

¡°Whether it is in business or engineering, these papers are well cited,¡± explained Poppema, who is targeting a top 200 spot in THE¡¯²õ?World University Rankings?by 2030, having risen from the 400-500 bracket to the low 300s this year. The university is ranked joint 22nd globally in the latest Impact Rankings table for SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals).?

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With the enthusiastic support of their billionaire founder, Sunway has gone further than most universities to encourage the idea that a research university can catalyse social change at both local and international levels, explained Poppema.

¡°Rather than ask academics to think about what they should be doing, we ask them to look at real-world problems which are often on their doorstep,¡± he said, noting the high engagement with the poorer communities surrounding the Sunway campus.

Last year that ethos was extended to students, who must now complete a seven-week volunteer placement covering community service and sustainable development, usually aiming to improve the lives of local people.

¡°The whole Sunway city is very sustainable ¨C it was built on the site of an abandoned tin mine and is now a thriving urban centre ¨C so it¡¯²õ a great place to translate ideas into practice,¡± continued Poppema on the university¡¯²õ ethos of applying research to real-world problems.

Seeing these initiatives recognised in THE¡¯²õ Impact Rankings is important given the institutional effort expended on activities that will not show up in traditional rankings, he said. ¡°It¡¯²õ disappointing when you don¡¯t see top 100 universities appear in the rankings ¨C it suggests they¡¯re not making real effort on this agenda.¡±

At SRUC, this strategic priority might fly under the radar but it is now a key part of the institution¡¯²õ identity, said Wall. ¡°We¡¯re now looking at PhD training in Africa and training the trainers ¨C the return isn¡¯t economic but it is something on which we want to do more,¡± she said.

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jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com