Building a more equitable approach to research commissioning
The GRTD RCC’s practical roadmap for meaningful, equitable research partnerships
Authors: Ezana Weldeghebrael, Ella Spencer
Change cannot happen in isolation. Progress depends on shared learning and collaboration across the sector, as well as a collective willingness to rethink how research is funded, governed, and valued.
Too often, research agendas and funding decisions are shaped in rooms far removed from the people closest to the development challenge. When this happens, a few critical questions surface: whose knowledge counts, whose priorities are reflected, and whether research ultimately leads to meaningful impact.
At the Global Research and Technology Development’s Research Commissioning Centre (RCC), which commissions research for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), these questions are central to our thinking.
They led us to develop our Equity Action Plan (EAP), a practical roadmap and set of practices for embedding equity, diversity and inclusion across our research commissioning processes and ensuring that we build and foster equitable partnerships.
In the coming months, the RCC will publish the full EAP framework and implementation roadmap, outlining our approach, progress to date, and areas for continued learning and development.
What equity means in research partnerships
For the RCC, equity is not an abstract principle, it is fundamental to producing high-quality, impactful research. The EAP is grounded in the understanding that meaningful research on the challenges in global development requires inclusive processes, shared decision-making, and stronger leadership roles for partners from low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries and underrepresented groups.
While many frameworks already exist to guide equitable partnerships, we wanted to translate those principles into day-to-day practice. The EAP was designed to be action-oriented and to move from intention to implementation.
Research has shown that inequitable practices can reinforce power imbalances, marginalise non-Western sources of knowledge, and limit Global South researchers to roles in data collection rather than leadership (e.g., Aboderin et al., 2023; Boum II et al., 2018). The result is not only inequitable, it can also undermine trust, legitimacy, and the uptake of research. For the RCC, promoting equity is therefore both a matter of fairness and a practical necessity for improving the quality and usefulness of commissioned research.
From strategy to action: our journey
This work was informed in consultation with RCC consortium partners, alongside an extensive review of literature and best practices on embedding equity, diversity and inclusion across research funding. Our efforts focused on strengthening the role of LMIC partners in leading research, shaping priorities and driving impact, while also addressing the structural inequalities and barriers faced by underrepresented groups within research funding processes.
The EAP translates the strategic intent behind equity principles into concrete action across the full research commissioning lifecycle, from pre-award through to implementation and impact, as well as across broader organisational practices.
To make this actionable, the EAP organises its commitments across three domains*:
- Communities and partnerships: building inclusive partnerships through collaboration, open communication, and trust-building.
- Research commissioning and facilitation: making funding more inclusive so the right questions are asked and the right partners are supported to deliver meaningful impact.
- Legal and financial management: simplifying contracts and funding processes so research can move smoothly and fairly.
*Adapted from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s (LSHTM) EquiPar Tool (2023)
To support realistic delivery, actions are categorised as mature (already embedded), developing (in progress), or seeds planted (identified for future consideration, some resource-dependent). This approach enables the RCC to phase implementation, prioritise achievable steps, and build toward more ambitious reforms over time.
Listening and co-creating
A core principle of the EAP and RCC is co-ownership. To ensure the plan reflects the realities and perspectives of those we work with, we conducted six stakeholder consultation sessions in 2025, engaging 26 participants. Participants included Global South-based RCC applicants and award holders, RCC consortium partners, and external organisations with expertise in equitable research funding. More than half of the participants were based in the Global South, and additional written feedback was received from six partners. This feedback was systematically reviewed and translated into specific revisions to the EAP.
To support ongoing accountability and transparency, the RCC is also developing an Equity Dashboard, underpinned by a monitoring framework. These will draw on a rapid review of best practices and lessons from other funding organisations and equity assessment tools. In addition, we have established an EAP advisory group, made up of 12 members, more than half of whom are based in LMIC countries. They are critical in supporting implementation, monitoring progress, and advising on our approach over time.
Progress so far and what we’re learning
Since its establishment in 2023, the RCC has been actively testing and embedding equity-promoting practices across its portfolio. The forthcoming EAP framework brings together these approaches, lessons and priorities into a more structured roadmap for implementation and accountability.
In the 2025/26 financial year, 67% of RCC research grants and 44% of Impact Fund grants were led by Global South institutions and we:
- piloted two-stage calls to reduce applicant burden and allow more time for partnership-building,
- expanded reviewer and partner networks across Africa,
- introduced more flexible funding arrangements, including advance payments and lighter-touch due diligence for smaller grants (under £100,000), and
- provided demand-driven proposal support to LMIC-based applicants.
While our progress is promising, we recognise that advancing equity is not straightforward. Resource constraints, time pressures, established funding norms, and broader systemic power imbalances all present real challenges. The RCC recognises that this work requires pragmatism, critical reflection and agility. That is why the EAP is being implemented iteratively: prioritising “quick wins,” learning from experience, and evolving as new evidence emerges.
Change cannot happen in isolation. Progress depends on shared learning and collaboration across the sector, as well as a collective willingness to rethink how research is funded, governed, and valued.
Looking ahead
For the RCC, the Equity Action Plan is not an endpoint, but part of an ongoing process of reflection, learning and adaptation.
While we are mindful of the unequal power dynamics that shape research globally, our approach is the beginning of a more deliberate and collaborative effort to make research funding more equitable. It is a framework for continuous listening, learning, testing, and improving, so that FCDO-funded research can be even more inclusive, more accountable, and ultimately more impactful for the people it is meant to serve.
With support from our partners, the RCC will continue to deliver on our ambition for the EAP and strengthen the governance mechanisms needed to support transparency and accountability, deepen partnerships, share lessons across the sector and advocate for wider systemic change in the research commissioning ecosystem.
We also invite researchers, partners and peers to engage with us, challenge us, and collaborate with us as we work towards a more equitable research landscape.
The RCC looks forward to sharing the full Equity Action Plan framework and accompanying resources in the coming months.
If you would like to learn more about the forthcoming EAP or the GRTD RCC, contact us at rcc@3ieimpact.org.
See more
The Frontier Tech Hub is launching OASIS: a shared, open platform for AI in development. It’s a place to find tools other people have built, discuss what’s working, and build on it rather than starting again.
Beyond the Axis is part of the Cross-border Conflict Evidence Policy and Trends (XCEPT) programme. The project set out to understand how Iranian arms transfers to allied groups has changed over time, and was ultimately able to explain how and why Iran, and its ‘Axis of Resistance’ allies have proven more resilient than expected in the wake of the regional crises since October 2023.
TEA is the flagship FCDO research and innovation platform supporting early-stage testing and scale up of innovative clean energy technologies and business models in developing countries, targeting the 655 million people still without access to electricity.
How can social protection better deliver for the most marginalised women and girls? Research from the Gender-Responsive Social Protection programme (GSP) offers important answers.