In this article Costello and Zumla suggest that much foreign-led research in developing countries remains semi-colonial in nature and may have negative effects on the countries in which it is conducted. In light of these concerns they ask what principles should lie behind investment in research in developing countries.

To enable research to be translated into practice, the authors suggest that national academic leaders and institutions need to be involved. As a result, academic infrastructure in developing countries needs to be developed through research partnerships. Research led by expatriates should be phased out and replaced by a partnership model in which nationals lead research projects, receiving only external technical support

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