The course happens primarily in the online gallery. You will wander around the interactive exhibits, which are split across eight rooms. Each room is a collection of stories that speak to a particular thematic issue of institutional (in)equity. It will take you 2 to 3 hours to get around them all.  You can click on an image, video or installation to learn more about the problem and question of equity that particular research team encountered.  

Over the past decade, equity in research has become a much talked about issue. An increasing number of resources, reports, and handbooks have been designed to help unmask and address power hierarchies in research relationships whether between the ‘researcher’ and the ‘researched’, or among the various stakeholders in the partnership. Many of these focus on partnerships between the UK and Global South partners as the underpinning funding from the UK often comes with conditions that disadvantage these partners. For example, partners have to adhere to policies, protocols and practices in the UK even though they may not have the knowledge, capacity or resources to meet them.  

While the majority of the exhibits in the gallery are about research outside the UK, many of the issues also occur within UK-based partnerships. This is because the focus is on institutional barriers to equity and most research, unless you are completely independent, will be working within some form of institutional system. 

Therefore, this course is for anyone working, or interested in working, in a research collaboration with other people. Within the 88 individual exhibits, we are confident that there will be something that resonates or is relatable to you and your work.