Advisory Board of the “Funding Flows” project: a strategic link for more inclusive scientific funding

The “Funding Flows” project has an Advisory Board comprised of experts in research, policy analysis, and scientific funding who also represent various international and regional institutions. The role of this board is to provide strategic guidance and validate the project's methodological approaches. Its function is key to connecting researchers with decision-makers and funding networks, ensuring an analysis that accurately reflects the realities of the Global South.

The fundamental tasks of the Advisory Council are:

• Review and improvement of data collection: To propose additional sources and suggest methodologies that enrich the interpretation of financial flows.
  
• Strategic orientation: To offer recommendations for refining the presentation of the results and ensuring that the conclusions are useful for the formulation of inclusive financing policies.
  
• Connecting with key players: Facilitate the link between the project team and funding bodies, research networks and policymakers.
  

The Advisory Council is made up of representatives from the following institutions:

• Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS).
  
• Southern Voice.
  
• UK Collaborative and Development Research (UKCDR).
  
• Global Development Network.
  
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
  
• International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).
  

First meeting and key points of the meeting: The first meeting of the Advisory Board was held virtually on February 26, 2025. During this meeting, the objectives of the “Funding Flows” project were presented, its main challenges were discussed, and the next steps for continuing the analysis and dissemination of the results were defined. The exchange was very productive and established a solid foundation for ongoing collaboration between the project researchers and the representatives of the institutions that make up the Advisory Board, the validation of the methodology, and the identification of additional data sources.

In addition, key questions that will guide the project's development were addressed during the session. These included questions about:

• Technical and methodological challenges: What information sources are most relevant for improving the analysis of financing flows? What tools can optimize data collection and processing?
  
• Conceptual and interpretative challenges: What methodological approaches allow for an accurate and understandable interpretation of the data? How can the results be presented in a way that is useful for decision-making?
  
• Dissemination and participation challenges: What dissemination strategies are key to maximizing the project's impact on the science and technology funding agenda? Which networks and actors should be prioritized to amplify the findings?
  

Among the reflections that emerged, the importance of preventing the perpetuation of inequalities, promoting the inclusion of local stakeholders in agenda setting, and improving data visualization through innovative tools was highlighted. These contributions, derived from the exchange of experiences and knowledge among Council members, will strengthen the project's inclusive and strategic approach.

This initiative reaffirms the commitment of the participating institutions to promote more transparent and inclusive scientific funding, prioritizing the needs and realities of the Global South. We will continue to share the progress and next steps on this exciting journey toward more transparent and equitable science!

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Advisory Board of the “Funding Flows” Project: A Strategic Link Toward More Inclusive Scientific Funding

The “Funding Flows” project is supported by an Advisory Board composed of experts in research, policy analysis, and science funding, who also represent various international and regional institutions. The role of this board is to provide strategic guidance and validate the project's methodological approaches. Its function is key in connecting researchers with decision-makers and funding networks, ensuring that the analysis accurately reflects the realities of the Global South.

The core tasks of the Advisory Board are:

Review and improvement of data collection: Propose additional sources and suggest methodologies to enrich the interpretation of financial flows.

Strategic guidance: Provide recommendations to refine the presentation of results and ensure that the conclusions are useful for the formulation of inclusive funding policies.

Connection with key stakeholders: Facilitate links between the project team and funding agencies, research networks, and policy makers.

The Advisory Board is composed of representatives from the following institutions:

• Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS)
  
• Southern Voice (SV)
  
• UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR)
  
• Global Development Network (GDN)
  
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
  
• International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)
  

First Meeting and Key Takeaways:
The first meeting of the Advisory Board was held virtually on February 26, 2025. During this session, the objectives of the “Funding Flows” project were presented, its main challenges were discussed, and next steps were defined to continue with the analysis and dissemination of results. The exchange was highly productive and established a solid foundation for ongoing collaboration between the project researchers and the representatives of the institutions on the Advisory Board. It also helped validate the methodology and identify additional data sources.

In addition, the session addressed key guiding questions for the project's development, including:

Technical and methodological challenges:
What information sources are most relevant for improving the analysis of funding flows?
What tools can optimize the collection and processing of data?

Conceptual and interpretive challenges:
What methodological approaches enable accurate and comprehensible data interpretation?
How can results be presented in ways that are useful for decision-making?

Dissemination and engagement challenges:
What dissemination strategies are essential to maximize the project's impact on science and technology funding agendas?
Which networks and actors should be prioritized to amplify the findings?

Among the reflections that emerged, the importance of avoiding the reproduction of inequality patterns was emphasized, along with the need to foster the inclusion of local actors in agenda-setting and to improve data visualization through innovative tools. These contributions—stemming from the exchange of experiences and knowledge among Advisory Board members—will strengthen the project's inclusive and strategic approach.

This initiative reaffirms the commitment of the participating institutions to promote more transparent and inclusive scientific funding, placing the needs and realities of the Global South at the center. We will continue to share updates and next steps along this exciting path toward a more equitable and open science.