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Revision Guide for Global Research Partnerships

The Guide for Global Research Partnerships (2025) is a comprehensive revision of the Guide for Transboundary Research Partnerships (1998, 2012, 2018). The purpose of the revision was to adapt the Guide to current realities and requirements, thus ensuring its continued relevance for individuals and institutions involved in global research collaborations.

The Guide was originally developed in 1998, four years after the founding of the Swiss Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (also known by its German-language acronym, KFPE). As a guide for research in partnership with low- and middle-income countries, it long served as a central reference for promoting fair and equitable research practices. The second and third editions, published in 2012 and 2018 respectively, also enjoyed widespread use by researchers, higher education institutions, and funders in Switzerland and abroad. Since then, the landscape of research partnerships has further evolved. Discussions around decolonizing research, artificial intelligence, and funding mechanisms have opened up new fields of reflection, prompting a need to revisit the Guide’s content and structure. The KFPE, too, has evolved, starting this project in 2024 and completing it in 2025 under its new name – Swiss Alliance for Global Research Partnerships (GRP Alliance).

The revision process was designed to be participatory and inclusive. Our goal was to produce a document that reflects the experiences and needs of a broad range of actors, both in Switzerland and around the world. We approached the process through multiple avenues, reviewing existing tools, comparable guides, and academic literature on research partnerships; conducting expert interviews; hosting workshops; and consolidating input from partner organizations and associates who supported the process.

Learn more about the revision of the Guide