North-South research collaborations: An empirical evaluation against principles of transboundary research

Transboundary research collaborations (TRCs) are critical in supporting evidence-based actions to address complex global issues. However, there is still a lack of empirics, which would detail how TRCs are organised, how activities are facilitated, and how actors interplay. In this article, we address this gap through the evaluation of a North-South TRC against the 11 principles for TRCs by the Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE). Using personal accounts, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews/surveys as methods, our evaluation casts light on how the process of running a 21st-century TRC is enacted from the perspective of the individual. Our results and discussion provide the basis for a more probing and systematic case for and against contemporary TRCs, their underlying value structures and modi operandi, as well as the absent dimensions.