We launched the Second Conference on Equitable Partnerships, hosted by the British Academy, the Royal Society, and South Africa's National Research Foundation (NRF), on 3-5 February 2026 in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Second Equitable Partnerships Conference built on earlier workshops and analysis, and brought together international partners to reflect on progress and shared learning. Delivered in collaboration with the Royal Society and the National Research Foundation (South Africa), the conference highlighted what has been achieved through this ISPF-funded partnership.
The conference was designed to:
This is the second conference to be held as part of this global initiative. You can find out more information on the first conference on Equitable Partnerships below.
Materials from the conference are made available to extend the reach and impact of the discussions.
Download our guidance from the workshop 'Evidence Use in Equitable Partnerships for Designing the Ideal Call'
The Equitable Partnerships initiative brings together researchers, funders and policymakers through international conferences and events. These convenings provide space to reflect on evidence, share lived experience, and explore how equitable research collaboration can be supported in practice.
See what attendees had to say about the conference:
"Honored to give the keynote at the Second Conference on Equitable Partnerships: Beyond the Binary - How Equitable Partnerships Transform All Players. A powerful conversation on rethinking collaboration, shared value, and impact."
- Professor Tshilidzi Marwala (UN Under-Secretary-General)
"As part of the British Academy-funded Madiba Nexus collaboration between four partner universities’, I co-designed and co-delivered the R&D funders’ strand of the programme. I presented our work at the Second Conference on Equitable Partnerships and we were awarded the People’s Choice Prize for our poster!"
- Maria K. Norton (Research and Innovation Services, University of Southampton)
"I attended the Second Conference on Equitable Partnerships, not only as a public health professional and a poster presenter, but importantly, as a research manager. One key takeaway for me was this: equitable research does not happen by science alone. It happens through systems, through the people and structures that govern power, accountability, budgets, timelines, etc."
- Iretioluwa Bamtefa (Research Support & Project Management Officer)
"Rarely have I experienced an event that has so intensely shaped my thinking. Attending sessions to listen and reflect, I was left with an understanding that we are seeking a redistribution of power in how research is done, that we must recognise the relational labour of scholarly work, and that systemic change, not just project change, is needed."
- Ambreena Manji (Africa Dean and Professor of Law, Cardiff University)
Conference attendees will be emailed a link to the full photo album. Contact [email protected] for more information.
The first conference was the culmination of a series of five global workshops hosted and facilitated by the British Academy in Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, Malaysia, and the UK between July and November 2024. The initiative, funded by the UK Government’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), managed by the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), brought together more than 200 key stakeholders – including researchers, other university actors, funders, and sector networks – to identify barriers and opportunities for fostering equitable research collaborations while understanding the unique contexts and challenges specific to each region.
The first conference enabled dialogue across geographies and among all stakeholder groups. It concluded with a Call to Action on Equitable Partnerships (EqPIC) and a commitment to take forward a series of concrete tasks towards more equitability.
If you have any queries, please do get in touch at [email protected].