Gemini Centre Global Impact

At the NORDEV NARMA LMIC Roundtable (25^th September 2025), leaders from universities, research institutions, think tanks, and funding agencies gathered to discuss how mainstream funding calls from Norway and the EU are increasingly opening up for collaboration with institutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Key questions included:

• Is this an opportunity for LMIC partnerships to gain visibility beyond development-focused funding?
• Or do they risk becoming less visible as priorities shift?
• How can funders and institutions ensure LMIC-specific priorities remain central?
• What happens if support for mobility, educational collaboration, and capacity building declines?

Participants emphasized that trust based, long term partnerships take time to build, but shifting donor priorities and declining funding threaten this foundation. South–South collaborations are gaining momentum, prompting reflection on the role of Northern institutions in this changing landscape.

Hard truths were acknowledged:

• Compliance burdens and lack of trust are stalling progress
• Shifting priorities in the Global North risk undermining hard-won gains
• Funding mechanisms still reflect colonial legacies

The event also marked the launch of the NARMA national thematic network on Equitable Partnerships with Institutions in Low and Middle-Income Countries (NARMA–LMIC). Interested in joining? Contact:

Thanks to our panelists: Runyararo Rukarwa, Karine Kålsås, Mikko Ylikangas, Madina Guloba, Shai André Divon, Kjersti Hasfjord.