In research, attention is often focused on scientists and scientific impact. But behind every grant and every partnership is work that is less visible and just as critical: people managing funding, budgets, contracts and keeping everything on track from the first grant application to the final report.
In February 2026, 75 of these professionals, including 67 trainees and 8 trainers, gathered in Ho Chi Minh City for something rare: a workshop designed specifically for them.
“I’ve been doing this work for years,” shared Ms Lê Duyên Ân, Head of Procurement and Logistics at OUCRU, “but I learned a lot on the job. There has been quite little training on how procurement fits into the research cycle, or how people across disciplines can work together more effectively throughout that cycle.”
That’s the reality across much of Southeast Asia. Research and grant management are emerging professions here. Many people juggle these responsibilities alongside other official roles, without formal training or clear career pathways. This is not a lack of capability, but a lack of investment in a profession that is essential to modern research.
Meanwhile, international funders increasingly expect stronger systems: due diligence, financial management, governance, reporting and compliance. When local institutions fail to demonstrate these capacities, they struggle to attract funding and lead research projects, even when scientific expertise is clearly there.
Over time, this influences who holds responsibility, who makes decisions and who is seen as ready to lead.
The Equitable Research Partnership: Initiative in Providing International Research Management Skill Sets in South East Asia programme, or EQUIPSEA, was designed to respond to this reality. It aims to underline research and grant management not just as support staff, but as a core part of research leadership.
Over 12 months, the organisers consulted with international experts and then ran a regional needs assessment to understand what people actually need. The result was a three-and-a-half-day workshop focused on practical realities of research management: grant and finance management, budgeting, institutional styles and policies, effective communication, contracts, intellectual property, and Good Financial Grant Practice standard (GFGP).
Every session was designed around real challenges participants face daily, with the principle that “Everyone is a teacher – Everyone is a learner.”
Perhaps the most valuable part wasn’t the formal sessions. It was discovering that others were navigating the same obstacles, that the workarounds you invented weren’t unique, that the expertise in the room was deeper than anyone realised. Participants left with more skills, confidence, and a community of peers they can call on long after the workshop ends.
By investing in research and grant management capacity, EQUIPSEA contributes to more equitable research partnerships across low- and middle-income countries. When local institutions can manage funding confidently, they are better positioned to lead collaborations, shape research agendas and share ownership more fairly.
Over time, this strengthens not only individual projects, but the wider research ecosystem across Southeast Asia.
About EQUIPSEA
The EQUIPSEA programme was funded by the British Academy and codeveloped by partners affiliated with the University of Oxford (Assoc Prof Ngô Thị Hoa, Ms Genevieve Kiff, Ms Duyen Nguyen, Mr Paul Miki Carvalho, Ms Laura Scifo) and the University of Glasgow (Ms Mary Ryan) in the United Kingdom, Universiti Putra Malaysia (Assoc Prof Mohamad Faizal Bin Ibrahim), and the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) (Assoc Prof Ngô Thị Hoa, Dr Nguyễn Trung Thành, Mr Nguyễn Xuân Trường) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.