BRICS Academic Forum
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| BRICS Academic Forum | |
|---|---|
| Name | BRICS Academic Forum |
| Formation | 2008 |
| Type | International scholarly network |
| Region | Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa |
| Languages | English language, Portuguese language, Russian language, Hindi language, Chinese language, Zulu language |
BRICS Academic Forum The BRICS Academic Forum is a scholarly network convening researchers from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa alongside partners from Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. It serves as an interface between academic communities at institutions such as University of São Paulo, Lomonosov Moscow State University, University of Delhi, Peking University, and the University of Cape Town and multilateral bodies including the BRICS (economic bloc), New Development Bank, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, United Nations, and G20. Established amid diplomatic dialogues involving leaders like Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vladimir Putin, Manmohan Singh, Hu Jintao, and Jacob Zuma, the forum links think tanks such as the Brazilian Center for International Relations, Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Observer Research Foundation, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, and the Institute for Security Studies (South Africa).
Background and Establishment
The forum traces intellectual origins to meetings between scholars at events like the BRICS Summit and the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and to institutional collaborations among University of São Paulo, Higher School of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tsinghua University, and Stellenbosch University. Initial convenings referenced policy debates from the Financial Crisis of 2007–2008, proposals by the Group of Twenty, and reform agendas in the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization. Participants included specialists affiliated with Inter-American Development Bank, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, Centre for Policy Research, China Development Research Foundation, and South African Institute of International Affairs.
Objectives and Scope
The forum's stated aims encompass fostering dialogue among scholars from Latin America, Eurasia, South Asia, East Asia, and Africa, promoting comparative studies with partners at Harvard University, University of Oxford, Sciences Po, National University of Singapore, and University of Cape Town, and advising policymakers active in forums such as the United Nations General Assembly, BRICS Leaders Meeting, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, G20 Leaders Summit, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. It seeks to produce joint outputs useful to agencies like the New Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United Nations Development Programme, and the African Development Bank.
Organization and Membership
Membership comprises universities, research centres, national academies such as the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Academy of Science of South Africa, plus think tanks like Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Chatham House, Brookings Institution, Centre for European Policy Studies, and Council on Foreign Relations affiliates. Governance structures mirror models from the Council of Europe, European University Association, and International Association of Universities, with rotating secretariats hosted by national ministries linked to Ministry of External Affairs (India), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (China), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (South Africa), and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brazil). Networks engage scholars involved with programs at Erasmus University Rotterdam, London School of Economics, University of Tokyo, Australian National University, and University of Cape Town.
Major Conferences and Activities
Annual and biennial conferences often coincide with the BRICS Summit schedule and have convened cities such as Yekaterinburg, Xiamen, Johannesburg, New Delhi, Guangzhou, Brasília, and Cape Town. Programmes feature panels on topics from panels shaped by contributions by researchers at Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, and Yale University. The forum organizes workshops, doctoral consortia, and roundtables in collaboration with institutions like the United Nations University, World Bank Institute, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, and Mercosur research centres, and partners with publishers such as Routledge, Springer Nature, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and Palgrave Macmillan.
Research Themes and Publications
Core research themes include development finance studies engaging experts from New Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank; urbanization and infrastructure research with teams from MIT, Tsinghua University, and Indian Institute of Technology; agricultural policy analysis tied to Food and Agriculture Organization; public health collaborations with World Health Organization and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation–affiliated scholars; and technology governance involving contributors from European Commission research units, National Institutes of Health, Tencent Research, and Google Research. Outputs appear in edited volumes with publishers like Springer, policy briefs for International Crisis Group, working papers hosted by Centre for Strategic and International Studies, and articles in journals including International Affairs (journal), Third World Quarterly, World Development, Journal of International Economic Law, and Global Policy.
Collaboration with BRICS Institutions and Initiatives
The forum liaises with BRICS-established bodies such as the New Development Bank, the BRICS Business Council, the BRICS Think Tank Council, and thematic platforms like the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre. It coordinates academic input to infrastructure programmes connected to Belt and Road Initiative, energy cooperation dialogues involving OPEC, climate partnerships linking to the Paris Agreement, and digital governance initiatives overlapping with International Telecommunication Union and World Intellectual Property Organization workstreams. Cooperative projects have included joint research with African Union, Mercosur, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Commonwealth of Nations research networks.
Criticisms and Challenges
Scholars and institutions including critics from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Transparency International, and academic commentators writing in The Economist, Foreign Affairs, The Lancet, Nature (journal), and Science (journal) have raised concerns about politicization of research, asymmetries among members such as disparities between China and smaller partners, and coordination difficulties resembling challenges in United Nations–affiliated networks. Practical issues cited involve funding mechanisms compared to National Science Foundation, intellectual property disputes akin to cases heard before the World Intellectual Property Organization, and varying academic freedom norms traced to national laws like those debated in Parliament of India, National People's Congress (China), and Federal Assembly (Russia).