What is the EquiPD project? 

EquiPD is an international collaborative initiative, supported by a British Academy grant. It addresses equity challenges in research partnerships, focusing on the proposal development stage where imbalances in partner priorities, resources, and decision-making often emerge and persist as equity issues throughout the project. EquiPD offers a structured pathway and a toolkit to help partners embed fairness, transparency, and mutual benefit into funding applications. By strengthening equity early in the collaboration process, EquiPD aims to improve proposal quality, strengthen partnerships and institutional resilience, and enhance research outcomes. 

The EquiPD approach was staged and collaborative, synthesising data gathered from various sources and drawing input from researchers and research support professionals from the Global South and North. This resulted in the development of a Toolkit to address equity challenges in proposal development.

 

The EquiPD Approach

The EquiPD Approach

The EquiPD Approach

1. Starting point

  • Equity issues can make partnerships imbalanced.
  • A partnership of research support professionals was formed (UCT, UCL & Wits).

2. Preparatory data gathering & analysis

Three datasets were used to distil equity issues arising during collaborative proposal development:

  • Outputs from British Academy 2024 Equitable Partnerships Workshop series
  • Insights from questionnaire completed by researchers & research support professionals to prioritise areas where inequity emerges
  • Themes arising from literature review of equity in research

3. Series of online & face-to-face workshops

Within this stage, four activities built on one another:

  1. Key equity challenges were identified that arise during proposal development.
  2. Challenges were interrogated using Theory of Change to identify interventions to improve equity outcomes.
  3. Using Implementation Science frameworks, potential interventions were characterised & implementation pathways mapped.
  4. A toolkit of equity-enhancing interventions was conceptualised, with a subset developed, piloted & refined into practical tools.

Step 2 above is illustrated in the original diagram with a thumbnail of the Theory of Change diagram — see the separate Theory of Change page for that content in full.

4. Outcome

  • These practical tools are available for download and use by researchers & research support professionals.
  • Using EquiPD equity tools can improve balance in partnerships.
Closed

Three datasets 

Insights from a series of British Academy-hosted international workshops, a literature review and an online questionnaire formed the basis for identifying equity challenges

Theory of Change process

A structured process used to map the conditions, assumptions, and interventions required to embed equity in collaborative proposal development

Implementation Science frameworks

TIDieR and CFIR frameworks used to assess barriers, enablers, and feasibility of proposed interventions

 

The EquiPD Toolkit

A set of seven interventions to address equity challenges at the proposal development stage of research collaborations, including three practical Fillable Forms

The Fillable Forms

A practical trio of tools enabling Lead Applicants and Co‑Applicants to share information transparently and engage early in equitable planning

 

Get the Full Picture

A concise guide to the EquiPD approach, including its pathway, interventions, and tools for embedding equity in collaborative proposal development.

DOWNLOAD THE EQUIPD PROJECT OVERVIEW