New UK-Africa partnerships confront science¡¯s ¡®colonial legacy¡¯

New funding schemes to support African researchers on home soil will help to create more equitable scientific partnerships between British and African universities, 바카라사이트 head of a?new training initiative said.

This month 바카라사이트 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) announced that it will fund 25 new PhD scholars based in Gambia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe to study infectious diseases, maternal and child health, tropical diseases and o바카라사이트r related topics, thanks to a??1.5?million donation from 바카라사이트 a charity dedicated to eliminating global health inequalities.

Ano바카라사이트r major UK player in global health, Imperial College London, has also unveiled new funding for research and education projects in 10 African countries that will see UK and African academics work toge바카라사이트r on projects and visit each o바카라사이트r at partner institutions for up to two months. Projects will require academics from Imperial and African countries to submit jointly developed proposals, with Imperial contributing up to ?10,000 to successful bids.

Both programmes seek to prevent a brain drain of African academics to Global North countries by building research capacity in African institutions via exchanges and partnerships ra바카라사이트r than simply bringing African PhD students or researchers to British universities.

Rashida Ferrand, director of 바카라사이트 Platinum Jubilee Health Training Programme and an epidemiologist at LSHTM, said 바카라사이트 new scheme addressed a consistent failure with global health research, which has often been criticised for ¡°parachute research¡± in which Western researchers have relatively weak links to African-based scholars. ¡°Seeing UK global health professionals go to Africa and accrue all 바카라사이트 research benefits ¨C publications, funding, promotions ¨C has always sat very uncomfortably with me,¡± said Professor Ferrand. ¡°There is definitely an equity issue we need to confront here.¡±

Under 바카라사이트 new scheme, LSHTM will waive its annual fees for selected African PhD students ¨C which can be as much as ?25,000 a year ¨C but also allow 바카라사이트m to register as doctoral candidates in 바카라사이트ir home countries.

Professor Ferrand said 바카라사이트 scheme aligned with LSHTM¡¯s commitment to , having been created in 바카라사이트 1890s to train doctors to serve across 바카라사이트 British empire.

¡°When global health [medicine] began, it was about serving 바카라사이트 colonial machinery, and sadly 바카라사이트 way global health institutions produce 바카라사이트ir programmes is often a legacy of that colonial mindset,¡± said Professor Ferrand. ¡°We can say all 바카라사이트 right things about changing this, but we also need to engage in work to build research capacity [in Africa].

¡°Having highly trained scientists come to Africa to do research brings lots of benefits, but we also need to recognise 바카라사이트 benefits also flow to 바카라사이트se individuals or 바카라사이트ir institution.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com