Second meeting of the Advisory Council of the “Funding Flows” project: progress, findings and next steps towards a more inclusive science
On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, between 15:00 p.m. and 17:30 p.m. (CET), the second virtual meeting of the Advisory Council of the “Funding Flows” project was held , whose objective was the presentation of the progress and preliminary results of the first stage of work of the CLACSO–IDRC–SIRIS Academic team.
Participants in the meeting included Judith Naidorf (FOLEC–CLACSO, CONICET, University of Buenos Aires – UBA), Ismael Rafols (CWTS – Leiden University, INGENIO – CSIC-UPV), Rodrigo Costas (CWTS – Leiden University, CREST – Stellenbosch University), Mariángela Nápoli (FOLEC–CLACSO, CONICET–UBA), and Matías Alcántara (FOLEC–CLACSO, UBA). Representing the Advisory Council were Francesco Obino, Cody Wallace, Adrian Bucher, Nicandro Bovenzi, and Fernando Galindo Rueda.
At the opening, Judith Naidorf , co-coordinator of the project, welcomed the participants, highlighting the role of the Advisory Council as a key space to guide research from a pluralistic and contextualized perspective, strengthening both the interpretation of data and the formulation of policy recommendations.
Preliminary progress and results
The first part of the meeting was led by Mariángela Nápoli , who presented the initial findings of the grey literature review on North-South funding flows . Her presentation underscored the project's critical approach and the diversity of sources surveyed regarding international funding, identifying persistent challenges such as asymmetries between research ecosystems , the limited influence of countries in the Global South on shaping research agendas , and the lack of transparency and accessibility of the final data.
Subsequently, Ismael Rafols and Rodrigo Costas presented the methodological advances in the analysis of Funding Acknowledgments in scientific publications, explaining the advantages and limitations of this strategy. Among the advantages , they highlighted the availability and traceability of data in databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions , and Crossref . Regarding the challenges , they mentioned the lack of refinement in the attribution of funds, the confusion surrounding collaborative practices, and the scarcity of detailed information on funding amounts and types.
Initial findings show that funding acknowledgments can identify countries with robust national systems and visualize external flows to the Global South. However, they also reveal significant limitations, particularly in detecting international flows within collaborative publications and in the lack of adequate metadata. In response, the team emphasized the importance of complementing this approach with grant databases such as Dimensions and IATI , and of promoting more transparent acknowledgment practices among funders, publishers, and authors.
Ongoing analysis and upcoming case studies
The first results of the analysis of two main sources were also presented :
- Sizewhich allowed for an examination of the main destinations of international flows by region, the most active funders (2020–2024) and the types of scholarships identified by SIRIS Academic.
- IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative)whose databases on official development assistance are being processed to further analyze financial flows.
As part of the second phase, the project will focus its qualitative analysis on four national case studies — Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, and India —selected for their diverse scientific ecosystems and funding models. These cases will allow for a comparative exploration of the contexts and, through interviews with key informants, a deeper examination of the gaps identified in the quantitative data.
Final reflections and closing of the meeting
The session concluded with an exchange and discussion between the members of the Advisory Council and the project team, in which observations and suggestions were shared to strengthen the next steps of the joint work.
This dialogue reaffirmed the Funding Flows project's commitment to transparency, inclusion, and the representation of the realities of the Global South in analyses of scientific funding.
Second Meeting of the “Funding Flows” Advisory Board: Progress, Findings, and Next Steps Toward More Inclusive Science
On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, from 15:00 to 17:30 (CET), the second virtual meeting of the Advisory Board for the Funding Flows project took place. The session focused on presenting preliminary results from the first stage of work by the CLACSO–IDRC–SIRIS Academic team.
Participants included Judith Naidorf (FOLEC–CLACSO, CONICET, University of Buenos Aires – UBA), Ismael Rafols (CWTS – Leiden University, INGENIO – CSIC-UPV), Rodrigo Costas (CWTS – Leiden University, CREST – Stellenbosch University), Mariángela Nápoli (FOLEC–CLACSO, CONICET–UBA), and Matías Alcántara (FOLEC–CLACSO, UBA). Advisory Board members present were Francesco Obino, Cody Wallace, Adrian Bucher, Nicandro Bovenzi, and Fernando Galindo Rueda.
The meeting opened with remarks from Judith Naidorf , co-coordinator of the project, who emphasized the Advisory Board's vital role in guiding research from a plural and contextualized perspective—enhancing both data interpretation and the formulation of policy recommendations.
Progress and Preliminary Findings
In the first part of the session, Mariángela Nápoli presented findings from the review of gray literature on North–South funding flows , highlighting the project's critical perspective and identifying persistent challenges such as asymmetries among research ecosystems , the limited influence of Global South countries in agenda-setting , and restricted transparency and accessibility of project data.
Ismael Rafols and Rodrigo Costas then presented methodological progress on the analysis of Funding Acknowledgments in scientific publications, noting both advantages—such as wide data availability across major databases ( Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions, Crossref )—and limitations related to attribution, data precision, and metadata gaps.
Initial results show that funding acknowledgments can help identify strong national systems and external funding flows toward the Global South. However, limitations remain in tracing international flows in collaborative publications and in the absence of standardized metadata. The team emphasized the need to complement this approach with grant databases (Dimensions, IATI) and to encourage better funding acknowledgment practices among funders, publishers, and authors.
Ongoing Analyzes and Case Studies
The session also reviewed results from two key data sources:
- Size, analyzing main destinations of international funding flows, key funders (2020–2024), and types of grants identified by SIRIS Academic.
- IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative), whose official development assistance data are currently being analyzed.
The project's next stage will focus on **four national case studies—Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, and India—**representing diverse research ecosystems and funding models. These cases will combine statistical analysis and interviews with key informants to explore the data gaps and contextual nuances identified so far.
Reflections and Closing
The meeting concluded with an open discussion between Advisory Board members and the project team, fostering valuable feedback and recommendations for future work.
This exchange reaffirmed the Funding Flows project's commitment to transparent, inclusive, and context-sensitive science funding analysis , centered on the realities of the Global South.
