The view that international cooperation is critical to achieving progress in research has become commonplace in science policy discourse. There is a growing consensus — rightly so — that cross-border cooperation should not be limited to a narrow circle of nations in the Global North, but that more scientists and stakeholders from underrepresented regions should also be included in these collaborations. This raises the question of how participation can be improved without simply reproducing global inequalities. The global academic landscape is still characterized by deep rifts, with the financial resources for research in the Global North incomparably more robust than those available to the Global South. In addition, there is still a prevalent imbalance in the division of labour in collaborative research projects: prestigious, reputation-enhancing activities such as theory-building frequently take place in the Global North, while the Global South is assigned tacitly ‘simple’ tasks such as data collection. Furthermore, in times of rising authoritarianism and increasing geopolitical tension, politics often stands in the way of international cooperation.

Global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and migration clearly show that global research cooperation is required now more than ever. But how should this be organized? The conference ‘Negotiating Scientific Cooperation in an Unequal World’ will consider important dimensions of this question, with experts drawn from around the world. The conference will end with the Berlin University Alliance officially signing the Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations.

The event will be accompanied by a photography exhibition from Adenike A. Akinsemolu (2024 Alexander von Humboldt Residency Programme Fellow)

The Women of Aiyetoro: Resilience in the Face of Climate Change

A visual exploration of the gendered dimensions of climate change and the historical marginalization of indigenous knowledge systems, contributing to a more equitable and inclusive global discourse.

In English

8:30 Arrival, Registration and Coffee

9:15–9:45 Welcome Address
Professor Günter M. Ziegler, President of Freie Universität Berlin & Spokesperson of the Berlin University Alliance

Dr. Ina Czyborra, Senator for Higher Education and Research, Health, and Long-Term Care, Berlin

9:45–10:20 Keynote Lecture
African Universities in the Global Science System
Professor Patrício Langa (Eduardo Mondlane University & Senior Research Fellow at the University Alliance Ruhr, College of Social Sciences and Humanities)

Moderated by Dr. Romain Faure (Berlin Center for Global Engagement)

10:20–11:15 Panel Discussion I
Global Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals: A Defining Agenda
for International Collaborative Research?

Professor Angela Million (Technische Universität Berlin)

Professor Patrício Langa (Eduardo Mondlane University & Senior Research Fellow at the University Alliance Ruhr, College of Social Sciences and Humanities)

Professor Hanzhi Yu (Zhejiang University)

Professor Euclides de Mesquita Neto (UNICAMP)

Moderated by Dr. Ulrike Hillemann-Delaney (Technische Universität Berlin)

11:15–11:45 Coffee Break

11:45–12:40 Panel Discussion II
Thinking the World from and with the South

Professor Robin Celikates (Freie Universität Berlin)

Professor Adenike Adebukola Akinsemolu (Humboldt Residency Programme Power and Knowledge & University of Birmingham & Afe Babalola University)

Professor Phoebe Sanchez (Researcher Consensus and Conflict Department, DeZIM – Deutsches Zentrum für Integrations- und Migrationsforschung)

Moderated by Dr. Sarah Wessel (Berlin Center for Global Engagement)

12:45–14:15 Lunch ‘Restaurant das Pfeffer’, Christinenstr. 18-19, 10119 Berlin

14:15–15:10 Panel Discussion III
Health Innovation with the Global South

Professor Malek Bajbouj (Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin)

Dr. Daniel Opoku (Technische Universität Berlin)

Professor John Ouma-Mugabe (University of Pretoria & Africa Hub Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium, online)

Moderated by Dr. Rebecca Ingenhoff (Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin)

15:10–15:50 Coffee Break

15:50–16:25 Hidden Research Performance
Introduced by Dr. Sarah Wessel (Berlin Center for Global Engagement), PD Dr. Andrea Fleschenberg dos Ramos Pinéu (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) and Aldo Spahiu

16:30–17:25 Panel Discussion IV
Between Transnational Dialogue and Geopolitical Challenges:
How Do Universities Navigate Through Times of Crisis?

Layla Al-Zubaidi (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung)

Dr. Isabelle Harbrecht (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Prof. Dr.  Jamil Salmi (Tertiary Education Expert)

Moderated by Dr Florian Kohstall (Freie Universität Berlin & Berlin Center for Global Engagement)

17:25–18:00 Coffee Break

18:00–18:15 Opening Remarks on the Signing Ceremony of the ‘Africa Charter for Transformative Research Collaborations’

Professor Julia von Blumenthal (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Berlin University Alliance
Remarks on Signing the Charter

Professor Isabella Aboderin (University of Bristol)
Brief Introduction of the Contents of the Africa Charter for Transformative
Research Collaborations

Followed by the Ceremonial Signing of the Charter

18:15–19:30 Round Table – The Africa Charter:
A Game Changer for Europe-Africa Research Partnerships?

Professor Isabella Aboderin (University of Bristol)

Professor Juliet Thondhlana (Association of African Universities, University of Nottingham)

Professor Philipp Dann (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)

Dr Jamil Salmi (Tertiary Education Expert)

Professor Patrício Langa (Eduardo Mondlane University & Senior Research Fellow at the University Alliance Ruhr, College of Social Sciences and Humanities)

Moderated by Professor Beate Kampmann (Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin)

 

19:30 Reception

Organized by

The conference ‘Negotiating Scientific Cooperation in an Unequal World’ is organized by the Berlin Center for Global Engagement of the Berlin University Alliance in cooperation with ICI Berlin

KV Negotiating Scientific Cooperation