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| INASP | |
|---|---|
| Name | INASP |
| Formation | 1992 |
| Type | International development charity |
| Headquarters | Oxford, United Kingdom |
| Region served | Global South |
| Leader title | Director |
INASP INASP is an international organisation focused on strengthening research and knowledge systems across the Global South. It works with universities, research institutes, libraries and policy bodies to improve access to scholarly information, research capacity, and evidence use. The organisation engages with a wide range of partners and funders to deliver programmes that intersect with scholarly publishing, digital infrastructure, and researcher training.
INASP was established in 1992 amid a wave of initiatives following the end of the Cold War and a growing emphasis on development assistance in the 1990s. Early collaborations linked the organisation with actors such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and British Council alongside national bodies in countries like Kenya, Nepal, and Zimbabwe. Over time INASP engaged with technology-focused efforts alongside organisations such as International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications and Research4Life partners including World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, and World Bank. During the 2000s and 2010s it expanded programming in partnership with institutions including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of London, University of Cape Town, and Makerere University. Its timeline intersects with global initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, and sector meetings hosted by Association of Commonwealth Universities and regional consortia like African Research Universities Alliance.
The organisation's mission emphasizes strengthening the production, access and use of research in low- and middle-income countries through capacity development, infrastructure, and policy engagement. Objectives historically align with international frameworks promoted by entities such as United Nations Development Programme, Global Partnership for Education, and the World Bank Group. Core goals include building researcher skills similar to training agendas promoted by Wellcome Trust and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, improving institutional repositories akin to work by JSTOR and CrossRef, and enhancing scholarly publishing practices in the vein of initiatives by Committee on Publication Ethics and Directory of Open Access Journals.
INASP operates a mix of programmes covering digital access, researcher development, and publisher engagement. Activities have included licensing consortia comparable to arrangements with Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley; research writing and mentorship models informed by practices at Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press; and skills training similar to courses run by Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University. It supports institutional repository development paralleling efforts by European Organization for Nuclear Research and Digital Public Library of America, and it runs research uptake and policy engagement interventions like those advocated by Overseas Development Institute and International Development Research Centre. Programmes often reference standards from organisations such as OpenAIRE and Creative Commons.
Partnerships include bilateral and multilateral funders and academic collaborators. Funders and partners have ranged from development agencies such as Department for International Development and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency to philanthropic bodies including Ford Foundation and Open Society Foundations. Collaborative research and training projects have been conducted with universities and networks including Lancaster University, University of Edinburgh, Trinity College Dublin, Association of African Universities, and Asociación Colombiana de Universidades. Participation in consortia has brought INASP into contact with global publishers and platforms such as PubMed Central, Scopus, Web of Science, and ORCID, while funding mechanisms have included support from trusts like Rockefeller Foundation and initiatives tied to Global Challenges Research Fund.
Evaluations of INASP programmes have been commissioned by independent evaluators and funders, often using frameworks similar to those applied by Independent Evaluation Group and Development Assistance Committee members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Reported impacts include increased research output at partner institutions comparable to improvements reported by South African National Research Foundation grantees, expanded access to journals paralleling outcomes from HINARI and AGORA programmes, and strengthened editorial capacity affecting journals listed in databases like Scopus and DOAJ. Impact assessments reference metrics and indicators used by organisations such as UNESCO, International Council for Science, and Research Excellence Framework.
INASP's governance has involved a board of trustees and senior management, with oversight practices comparable to governance frameworks used by Charity Commission for England and Wales registrants and by university governing bodies such as Council of the University of Oxford. It engages staff and consultants with backgrounds from organisations including British Library, National Institutes of Health, African Academy of Sciences, and regional university networks like Collegium of African Universities. Advisory panels and programme steering groups have involved experts affiliated with institutions such as International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Global Young Academy, and national research councils.
Critiques of INASP’s approaches have mirrored debates in the international development and scholarly communication sectors. Commentators and organisations such as Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition and Open Knowledge Foundation have debated models of external support versus local ownership, echoing controversies similar to those involving Publish or Perish metrics and critics of large publisher negotiations like Elsevier boycott (Cost of Knowledge). Discussions have also referenced concerns raised in reviews by regional bodies including African Union research policy fora and civil society groups such as ActionAid, focusing on sustainability, dependency, and alignment with national research agendas.