Towards a more transparent and inclusive science: tracing the circuits of R&D funding in the Global South

Equity in funding for Research and Development (R&D)—understood as the set of systematic activities aimed at generating new knowledge and applying it to the development of solutions—is fundamental to building fairer, more sustainable, and more inclusive scientific systems. However, asymmetries in the global distribution of resources particularly affect institutions in the Global South. That is, the group of countries located primarily in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, historically at a disadvantage in economic, political, and scientific terms compared to the Global North (developed countries). Due to this distribution, the Global South faces structural challenges such as a scarcity of national funding, inequality in institutional capacities, and limited participation in science policy decision-making.

In this context, the project Tracking Research Funding Flows in the Global South for More Transparent and Inclusive Science, led by the Latin American Forum on Scientific Evaluation (FOLEC-CLACSO), funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), in partnership with the Center for Science and Technology Studies The Center for World Sciences and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University and SIRIS Academic in Spain seeks to make visible the international funding circuits in R&D; that is, the pathways, channels, and mechanisms through which research funding flows from institutions in the Global North to institutions and actors in the Global South. Through data analysis and the development of open-source tools, the project aims to understand how these financial relationships are configured among donors, cooperation agencies, multilateral organizations, and recipient organizations, with the goal of promoting more informed decisions by those who design and implement science policies.

What do we do and why?

The project "Funding FlowsThe project aims to map how research funds are distributed from the Global North to the Global South, and what dynamics condition their allocation. This flow of resources, influenced by geopolitical interests, philanthropic structures, and international agendas, often imposes external priorities that weaken the capacity of countries in the Global South to advance their own development agendas.

The project's approach combines quantitative analysis tools (such as funding databases and project registries) with qualitative approaches that identify policy needs and structural barriers. Furthermore, it collaborates with local stakeholders to generate contextualized knowledge and foster scientific output aligned with the interests of the region.

Main objectives

• Identify exclusion patterns in the allocation of resources, highlighting persistent gaps that particularly affect institutions with less visibility or influence.
  
• Develop analytical and visual tools that allow funding agencies to access, share, and use data on funding flows in a transparent and effective manner.
  
• Generate empirical evidence on structural inequalities in access to R&D funding, through case studies, policy discussion events and open data.
  
• Produce concrete recommendations to transform science funding policies towards fairer, more participatory and inclusive models.
  

What data do we generate?

The project systematizes data from multiple sources: international databases such as Dimensions and IATI, public policy documents, institutional reports, and administrative records. This data allows for tracking and analyzing the flow of funds, identifying both their origins (private foundations, bilateral agencies, multilateral organizations, among others) and their destinations (governments, ministries of science, universities, research centers, civil society organizations).

The analyses will help to understand how international R&D funding circuits impact the design of research agendas, local capacities, appropriation of results and levels of accountability, both to funders and to the recipient communities themselves.

Key open access productions

All outputs produced by the project will be freely and openly available, in line with the principles of open science, a perspective that promotes the public availability of data, publications, and research processes to democratize knowledge. These include:

• An interactive digital platform which will allow access to dynamic visualizations of the global flow of R&D funding, with a focus on the Global South.
  
• Academic publications, reports and blogs that explore innovative methodologies, regional comparative analyses, and policy reflections on the distribution of funding.
  
• Infographics and interactive visualizationsdesigned to facilitate the understanding of data by diverse audiences, including decision-makers, researchers, and social organizations.
  
• Participatory events and workshops, organized with funders, science policymakers and representatives of the academic sector, to discuss concrete strategies for transforming the funding system.
  

For what purpose and for whom?

This project aims to empower funding councils in the Global South, regional scientific institutions, and research communities by providing them with tools to actively participate in resource allocation debates. By strengthening their capacity to track, interpret, and use funding data, it promotes greater autonomy and scientific sovereignty while reducing dependence on actors in the Global North.

Transparency in funding mechanisms is a key step toward more equitable systems. As evidence shows, unequal access to resources not only limits knowledge generation but also reproduces epistemic inequalities, where knowledge from the Global South is often undervalued or rendered invisible in the face of hegemonic criteria of scientific excellence.

With this project, we seek to contribute to a structural change in the way science is funded and produced, recognizing that the Global South not only needs more resources, but also more of a voice in how scientific priorities are defined and how their impacts are assessed.

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Towards a More Transparent and Inclusive Science: Tracking R&D Funding Flows in the Global South

Equity in Research and Development (R&D) funding—understood as the set of systematic activities aimed at generating new knowledge and applying it to the development of solutions—is essential for building fairer, more sustainable, and even scientific systems. However, asymmetries in the global distribution of resources particularly affect institutions in the Global South. This refers to the group of countries mostly located in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, historically positioned at a disadvantage in economic, political, and scientific terms compared to the Global North (developed countries). Due to this distribution, the Global South faces structural challenges such as a lack of national funding, unequal institutional capacities, and limited participation in scientific policy decision-making.

In this context, the project Tracking Research Funding Flows in the Global South for More Transparent and Inclusive Science, led by the Latin American Forum for Scientific Evaluation (FOLEC-CLACSO), funded by the International Development Research Center (IDRC), in partnership with the Center for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University and SIRIS Academic from Spain, aims to shed light on international R&D funding circuits—that is, the pathways, channels, and mechanisms through which research funding flows from Global North institutions to Global South institutions and actors. Through data analysis and the development of open tools, the project seeks to understand how financial relationships are shaped between donors, cooperation agencies, multilateral organizations, and recipient institutions, with the goal of promoting better-informed decision-making by those who design and implement science policy.

What do we do and why?

The Funding Flows project aims to map how research funds are distributed from the North to the Global South, and what dynamics influence their allocation. These resource flows, often shaped by geopolitical interests, philanthropic structures, and international agendas, frequently impose external priorities that weaken the ability of Southern countries to drive their own development agendas.

The project combines quantitative analysis tools (such as funding databases and project records) with qualitative approaches that identify policy needs and structural barriers. Furthermore, it works collaboratively with local actors to generate contextualized knowledge and promote scientific production aligned with regional interests.

Main objectives

• Identify patterns of exclusion in the allocation of resources, highlighting persistent gaps that particularly affect institutions with less visibility or influence.
  
• Develop analytical and visual tools to help funding agencies access, share, and use data on funding flows in a transparent and effective way.
  
• Generate empirical evidence on structural inequalities in access to R&D funding through case studies, policy discussion events, and open data.
  
• Produce concrete recommendations to transform science funding policies toward fairer, more participatory, and inclusive models.
  

What data do we generate?

The project systematizes data from multiple sources of information: international databases such as Dimensions or IATI, public policy documents, institutional reports, and administrative records. These data help track and analyze the circulation of funds, identifying both their origins (private foundations, bilateral agencies, multilateral organizations, among others) and their destinations (governments, science ministries, universities, research centers, civil society organizations).

The analyzes will help to understand how international R&D funding circuits impact the design of research agendas, local capacities, the appropriation of results, and levels of accountability—both to funders and to the recipient communities themselves.

Key Open Access Outputs

All outputs produced by the project will be freely and openly available, in line with open science principles—a perspective that promotes public availability of data, publications, and research processes to democratize knowledge. Key outputs include:

• An interactive digital platform that will provide access to dynamic visualizations of global R&D funding flows, with a focus on the Global South.
  
• Academic publications, reports, and blog posts that explore innovative methodologies, regional comparative analyses, and policy reflections on funding distribution.
  
• Infographics and interactive visualizations, designed to facilitate understanding of the data by diverse audiences, including decision-makers, researchers, and social organizations.
  
• Events and participatory workshops, organized with funders, science policy officials, and representatives from the academic sector, to discuss concrete strategies for transforming the funding system.
  

For what and for whom?

This project seeks to empower funding councils in the Global South, regional scientific institutions, and research communities by providing them with tools to actively engage in debates on resource allocation. By strengthening their capacities to track, interpret, and use funding data, it promotes greater scientific autonomy and sovereignty, while also reducing dependency relationships with actors from the North.

Transparency in funding circuits is a key step toward more equitable systems. As evidence shows, unequal access to resources not only limits knowledge generation but also reproduces epistemic inequalities, where knowledge from the South is often undervalued or rendered invisible by hegemonic criteria of scientific excellence.

With this project, we aim to contribute to a structural change in the way science is funded and produced, recognizing that the Global South not only needs more resources but also more voice in how scientific priorities are defined and how their impacts are evaluated.