Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • CAREER FEATURE

Pack up the parachute: why global north–south collaborations need to change

Global-south researchers want equal partnerships that value intellectual exchange.
By
  1. Virginia Gewin

    1. Virginia Gewin is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon.

Find a new job
Ocean Mercier standing in a forest near a tree, smiling.

Marine scientist Ocean Mercier says requests to collaborate with researchers in the global south should be sincere and respectful. Credit: Grant Maiden

Most scientific-journal articles come from wealthy countries in the global north. Often, well-funded researchers initiate short-term projects in southern countries — which are typically poorer and often have a history of colonial occupation — frequently without seeking substantive local input or expertise. Dubbed parachute or helicopter research, this is a long-standing tradition steeped in colonialism, say those campaigning for change.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 619, 885-887 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02313-1

These interviews edited for length and clarity.

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links