Abstract

Our global system of economic development is leading to an unsustainable future. We push high-income countries to constantly consume to keep the economy moving, while encouraging low-income countries to continually produce more goods to meet demand, with the promise of economic development. These unsustainable practices are leading to global challenges that will only be resolved through innovation that engages across low-middle-high-income research and innovation partnerships. As governments and funding bodies remedy the lack of diversity in research by mandating the inclusion of international collaborations, research consortia are often left scrambling to include partners at the last minute for the sole purpose of meeting eligibility criteria. This approach to partnering is something research managers in LMICs have started to view as common. The research team often designs a project with minimal contributions from partners in the target country and then seeks to find someone who can be the implementer. It can often pressure research teams to engage in projects that they do not fully understand or are not appropriately resourced to successfully implement. This presentation will explore effective strategies for integrating LMICs into research networks and proposal development, focusing on capacity building, partnership development, and resource allocation. Key topics include creating inclusive funding mechanisms, enhancing collaborative infrastructure, and overcoming barriers related to governance and expertise. RMIT Vietnam, the Australian international branch campus of RMIT University in Vietnam, has seen success in recent years in joining Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, and Erasmus consortia, however, with this has come some challenges and lessons learned. These case studies will demonstrate how inclusive engagement can lead to more impactful and sustainable research outcomes. The session aims to provide actionable insights for researchers, policymakers, and funding bodies to enhance LMIC participation in global research initiatives.