The role of long-term partnerships

Long-term partnerships between institutions or centres of excellence in developing and developed countries have proved particularly beneficial. They are flexible and can thus cater to the changing needs of the developing-country institution over time, enhancing research and training activities in both institutions. Furthermore, they can provide a resource for regional assistance and training that is superior to that which either of the centres could provide alone.

Such partnerships, however, are extremely difficult to fund and maintain over long periods of time. The ebb and flow of development programmes and donor priorities, focused often on a project-by-project basis, militates against the maintenance of such relationships. However, long-term alliances are worth nurturing. They work best in the mode of full partnerships that have the breadth and depth to survive administrative changes in both institutions, avoiding the problems inherent in "technical assistance" models in which consultants make periodic short-term visits but are not an integral part of the programme from start to completion.