Navigating the challenges of business funding for research

In 2021, I received a research grant from a private global corporation to convene a group of academics and practitioners to produce a series of research outputs that addressed the impact of data localisation in emerging data protection regulation across three African countries. While the project was successful, its implementation presented challenges. Some of these included navigating the bureaucracy of academic institutions to forge partnerships with corporations; dealing with concerns regarding research integrity in the face of conflicting objectives in an academic-business collaboration; as well as navigating power imbalances within the partnership. This paper addresses these challenges to explore solutions for managing independent research funded by powerful corporations. I discuss the risks, benefits, and requirements for both parties to forge a successful partnership. The solutions proposed here include understanding the type and form of partnership that will achieve the research objectives of each partner; maintaining transparency and open lines of communication between them; securing professional assistance on issues related to intellectual property, confidentiality, and the publication of research findings, as well as the importance of trust and mutual respect for each partner’s knowledge, expertise and overall contribution.