How Can We Make Research Collaborations More Equitable?

Global challenges require global solutions. That’s why, in recent years, there has been an increase in international partnerships between researchers from the Global North and Global South.

But forming a partnership means little if it is not equitable. In a true partnership, there must be mutual respect, trust, data sharing, and proper value given to all parties’ contributions at every stage of the research process.

To learn more about global research partnerships and how they can be improved, Technology Networks asked academics and industry leaders from around the world one simple question: “How can global research collaborations be made more equitable and genuinely collaborative?”

Junyue Cao, PhD. Associate professor and head of the Laboratory of Single-Cell Genomics and Population Dynamics, The Rockefeller University.

“Equitable collaboration starts with co-design: partners should jointly define the scientific questions, budgets, timelines, and success criteria from the beginning. It also requires fair credit (authorship and leadership roles), real investment in local capacity (training and infrastructure), and shared governance over data and downstream use—so collaborations aren’t extractive, but truly mutually beneficial.”

Björn Schumacher, PhD. Professor and director of the Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Diseases, University of Cologne.

“We should particularly encourage scientific education within our countries and in disadvantaged regions in the world. Alliances between countries and regions to improve scientific curricula could already make a big difference.

“The advent of computational biology has generated entirely new perspectives on taking part in discovery science, even remotely, without any of the expensive laboratory infrastructure. Remote collaborations could boost synergy between the academically leading nations and developing countries.”

Augusto Schneider, PhD. Associate professor in the Faculty of Nutrition, Universidade Federal de Pelotas.

“I believe that grant mechanisms that specifically target international collaboration would be very helpful. We need to bridge the gap by giving scientists in developing countries access to state-of-the-art facilities and training for our young researchers.

“I think these collaborations benefit both sides. There are so many good ideas being developed that can't get off the ground because the local investment is too low. On the other hand, we have a wealth of qualified scientists and unique biological samples that are essential for high-end research. If we can also secure travel grants to get these scientists into international meetings, we can spark the partnerships that turn these local ideas into global collaborative networks.”

Bryan Dechario, PhD. Chief operating officer, GeneDx.

“An equitable and truly collaborative global research starts with recognizing the value of every partner’s expertise and perspective, and ensuring that the benefits of discovery reach all communities, not just a select few. That means building partnerships where data, insights, and resources flow both ways, investing in local capacity, and making sure our technology and knowledge are accessible across geographies and backgrounds.

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“Our work with initiatives like the GUARDIAN study and our partnership with Komodo Health to build the world’s most comprehensive and diverse rare disease dataset are grounded in this philosophy. We’re not just collecting data; we’re connecting real-world patient experiences from around the globe, and using those insights to accelerate diagnosis, improve outcomes, and close longstanding gaps in access.

“When we put patients and families at the center, and commit to transparency, shared learning, and mutual respect, we create a network where every discovery has the power to lift up the entire field, and that’s how we move precision medicine forward for everyone.”

Karim Khaled, PhD. Postdoctoral researcher at the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University.

“Global research collaborations become more equitable when they move beyond extractive models toward genuine partnership. This includes shared decision-making, transparent authorship practices, fair distribution of funding, and investment in local research capacity.

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“Equitable collaboration also means recognizing local expertise, aligning research priorities with community needs, and ensuring that the benefits of research (such as data ownership and policy impact) are shared among all partners.”

David Hava, PhD. Chief scientific officer, Alltrna.

“True collaboration requires shared ownership, not just shared data. Too often, global partnerships are structured around one-way flows of samples or insights rather than mutual scientific exchange.

“Making them more equitable means aligning incentives, recognizing contributions transparently, and building long-term relationships, rather than transactional ones. From a scientific standpoint, the most productive collaborations are those where all parties are involved in framing the questions, interpreting the data, and shaping what comes next.”

John Yoshi Shyu, PhD. Director, commercial technology and chief scientific officer, Corning Life Sciences.

“Global research collaborations become more equitable when access to tools, knowledge, and infrastructure is shared, not just ideas. The greatest inequity in today’s scientific ecosystem is not a shortage of innovation, but unequal access to the manufacturing expertise and operational know-how required to translate discoveries into reliable, scalable products.

“To bridge this gap, real-world manufacturing knowledge must be treated as a shared asset within global collaborations. Creating open, pre-competitive platforms for process development, standardization, and scale-up, where large pharmaceutical companies and smaller organizations can contribute and learn on equal footing, would give all partners a fairer chance of success. This approach ensures that scientific advances can be translated into real-world impact for patients globally, regardless of where the innovation originates.”