Inorms 2023: Equal partnerships a priority at research management network’s first in-person congress since Covid
Equitable research partnerships are high on the agenda as research managers and policy experts from 53 countries gather in South Africa this week.
The topic has gained significant traction globally, with funding agencies and organisations recognising the need to address disparities and foster fair collaborations in research and innovation.
Prominent African voices, such as Catherine Kyobutungi from the African Population and Health Research Center in Nairobi, will be discussing the importance of inclusivity as part of the annual meeting of the International Network of Research Management Societies (Inorms) in the South African city of Durban.
In a piece for Research Professional News, Kyobutungi says: “Researchers in wealthy countries have a responsibility to advocate for investment in the institutional infrastructure of their low- and middle-income country partners. They also need to understand the barriers colleagues from LMICs face.”
Bridging the gap
Another theme playing to the conference’s African roots is the divide between those working in research management and those doing similar roles in innovation. These tend to be different knowledge management roles in the global north. But in Africa and many other developing regions, professionals often do both, says Therina Theron, congress chair and immediate past president of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association, or Sarima.
“One of the aims at Inorms 2023 is to bring these roles together, to stimulate a more connected community in a way that makes research and innovation more globally relevant, collaborative and impactful.”
A third focus of the conference will be on measuring the impact of research and innovation in a responsible manner. The concept of knowledge exchange, rather than solely focusing on technology transfer as the outcome of research, will be explored in depth by keynote speaker Phil Clare, chief executive of Queen Mary Innovation, the technology transfer company of Queen Mary University of London in the UK.
Back in person
The last Inorms congress, in 2021, was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. That has made the Durban meeting highly anticipated and attendance is exceeding expectations, with more than 550 delegates signed up, says Theron.
This is the second time the event has been hosted in Africa: the third Inorms congress was held in Cape Town in 2010. That time, Sarima organised the event jointly with the Association of Commonwealth Universities. This time, Sarima is going it alone. “One of the things that we want people to take away is new friends and new collaborators in the research and innovation management field,” says Theron.