Shaping global science systems

Last week, over 200 representatives from research funding agencies across the world gathered in Riyadh for the 13th annual meeting of the Global Research Council (GRC), hosted by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

The GRC annual meetings are a unique opportunity for research funding agencies to come together to discuss and coordinate on pressing topics and challenges. This year’s meeting was structured around two central topics: ‘Research management in the era of artificial intelligence’ and ‘Working together in co-creation to address global challenges’.

The rise of AI continues to be a topic of interest to research funders, with both risks and opportunities at the centre of many GRC discussions. Co-creation is also more relevant than ever, as global challenges continue to demand collaboration and engagement from the international science system.

Meanwhile, recent political developments pose new challenges for international collaboration – from growing concerns around research security and dual-use technologies to mounting political attacks on the science system itself.

The GRC meeting saw the ratification of new Statements of Principles, respectively on AI in research management, and on co-creation to address global challenges. 

RoRI had the honour of contributing our expertise at several points in the meeting. RoRI’s James Wilsdon joined as a panellist for the presentation of a new global research and innovation index, and at the gathering of the GRC responsible research assessment working group. 

RoRI Head of Programmes Peter Kolarz also presented findings from the GRC survey on responsible research assessment. The survey shows that the old ways of doing research assessment are still going strong, but a range of new criteria, indicators and processes are entering the picture. This is not a matter of the new replacing the old, but instead, the ways in which we assess research is broadening, as is the way in which we define “good” research in the first place.

Besides a range of other findings, including an entire chapter on current and future AI-use by research funders, the report also notes that research funders generally have a high degree of autonomy from government and academic communities when it comes to designing funding and assessment processes and defining criteria and indicators.

Despite resource constraints, research funders remain critical agents of change – arguably better positioned than many others to drive meaningful transformation in science systems. This makes events like the GRC meetings all the more important.

The GRC is of course not only about the big set-piece debates and presentations but just as much about bilateral discussions and mingling (in this year’s case often accompanied by delicious sticky dates and arabian coffee).

It was a great pleasure to connect with so many funders and to find so much enthusiasm for trying new things, be it to become more experimental in research funding processes or to reform national assessment systems to make them more agile, efficient and reflective of today’s needs.

Many conversations we had will doubtlessly continue, as will the work of all the GRC’s initiatives and working groups. We look forward to seeing all the progress made when the GRC-torch passes from KACST in Riyadh, to the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), who will host the meeting next year.