International Network for Advancing Science and Policy

INASP, short for the International Network for Advancing Science and Policy, is an international development charity focused on strengthening the ability of researchers, educators, universities and policy institutions in the Global South to create, share and use knowledge. Based in Oxford, United Kingdom, the organization works through a distributed network of partners rather than relying solely on a large permanent workforce. Its programs have operated across Africa, Asia and Latin America and have involved collaborators in more than one hundred countries. The organization was established in 1992 by the International Council for Science, working with UNESCO, the Third World Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It was originally known as the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications. That earlier name reflected its initial emphasis on improving access to scientific information and scholarly publications in countries whose researchers and institutions faced limited access to international research literature, publishing infrastructure and information resources. INASP was registered as a charity in 2004. Over time, its remit expanded beyond access to publications. The organization adopted its current name to reflect a broader mission involving research production, higher-education transformation, knowledge systems and the relationship between evidence and public policy. Its work now emphasizes locally grounded expertise, institutional capacity and stronger connections among universities, researchers, educators, governments, industries and communities. Rather than treating knowledge access as an isolated information problem, INASP presents research and education capacity as part of wider development systems. INASP describes its impact through three connected areas. First, it works with educators and researchers to support rigorous knowledge creation and more effective learning, including learning that can improve young people's prospects. Second, it helps universities develop stronger knowledge pipelines based on local talent, disciplinary expertise and the needs of their surrounding societies. Third, it acts as a catalyst within Southern knowledge systems, applying its experience in research communication, higher education and institutional development so that educators, researchers and the organizations they lead can have greater influence. Its portfolio includes higher-education reform and employability initiatives, research-publishing support, mentoring, networking and capacity-building. The Transforming Employability for Social Change in East Africa project, known as TESCEA, brought universities, employers, communities and governments together to improve the relevance of student learning and help young people address social and economic challenges. Its first phase was supported through the United Kingdom's Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation and Reform program. A subsequent phase has been associated with technical and vocational education, youth enterprise, digital technologies and emerging skills, including the possible use of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning. Another major strand of work is Rising Scholars, formerly known as AuthorAID. This initiative supports researchers in the Global South through mentoring, training, resources and professional networks. Its objectives include improving researchers' chances of publishing successfully and increasing the visibility and influence of research produced in developing countries. INASP is governed by an international Board of Trustees and funded through a combination of support from partner countries, governmental and nongovernmental development agencies and philanthropic foundations. It is also connected to international scholarly and information-management networks, including membership of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association. The organization is best understood as a mission-driven knowledge and capacity-building institution rather than a conventional commercial product brand.

INASP was created in 1992 in response to the unequal distribution of scientific information and research infrastructure around the world. The organization was established by the International Council for Science in cooperation with UNESCO, the Third World Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Under its original name, the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications, it concentrated on improving access to scholarly publications for researchers and institutions in countries that were underserved by established international information systems. Its early mission reflected a period in which access to scientific journals, bibliographic information and international research communication was a significant structural barrier for universities and researchers in many lower-income countries. By helping institutions obtain and use scientific information, INASP sought to support more effective research, education and evidence-based decision-making. The organization operated through relationships with local and international partners, allowing its programs to respond to differences in national research systems and institutional resources. INASP was formally registered as a charity in 2004. Its legal and institutional development coincided with a widening understanding of the barriers facing researchers in the Global South. Access to publications remained important, but it was only one part of a broader system involving research skills, publishing ability, university governance, teaching quality, professional networks, policymaking and the capacity of institutions to retain and use local expertise. The organization subsequently adopted the name International Network for Advancing Science and Policy. The change signaled a broader role: supporting the production, communication and application of knowledge, rather than focusing only on the availability of scientific publications. Its programs came to include research communication, mentoring, higher-education development, evidence-informed policy and institutional capacity-building. The organization also increasingly emphasized Southern leadership and locally relevant solutions, positioning its work as a way to strengthen knowledge systems rather than substitute external expertise for local institutions. INASP's later work has included partnerships with universities, educators, researchers, governments, employers and communities. TESCEA, or Transforming Employability for Social Change in East Africa, exemplifies this approach. The project was designed to connect higher-education institutions with labor-market and community needs, improve student learning and help young people use their skills to respond to social and economic problems. Its first phase formed part of the United Kingdom's Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation and Reform program, a competitive funding mechanism intended to support higher-education innovation and reform in low-income countries and other focus settings. Later plans associated with TESCEA included engagement with technical and vocational education, support for youth business creation, and experimentation with digital technologies and artificial intelligence in learning and skills development. Researcher development has remained another central strand. AuthorAID, later presented as Rising Scholars, was designed to improve researchers' ability to publish and to increase the international visibility of research from developing countries. It uses mentoring, training, practical resources and networks to address challenges that may otherwise limit researchers' participation in scholarly communication. This work extends INASP's original concern with access to knowledge by also addressing the ability to generate and disseminate knowledge. Today, INASP is based in Oxford and governed by an international Board of Trustees. It works with a relatively small core staff and a broad network of partners across more than one hundred countries. Its funding comes from partner countries, governmental and nongovernmental development agencies and philanthropic foundations. The organization remains an active international development charity whose work combines research communication, higher-education reform, education quality, employability and policy-relevant knowledge systems.

• 2004

  Registered as a charity

  [1]INASPen.wikipedia.org

  INASP was formally registered as a charitable organization in the United Kingdom.

• 1992

  Organization established

  [1]INASPen.wikipedia.org

  The International Council for Science established the organization in cooperation with UNESCO, TWAS and AAAS to improve worldwide access to scientific information.

• Adopted the INASP name

  [1]INASPen.wikipedia.org

  The organization moved from its original publication-access name to International Network for Advancing Science and Policy as its remit expanded into research, higher education and policy systems.

• TESCEA launched

  [1]INASPen.wikipedia.org

  INASP became involved in TESCEA, a partnership-based initiative focused on higher-education transformation and employability in East Africa.

• AuthorAID developed as Rising Scholars

  [1]INASPen.wikipedia.org

  INASP's researcher mentoring and publication-support initiative became known as Rising Scholars.

A partnership-led international development organization that strengthens locally rooted research, higher education and policy capacity in the Global South.

• Higher-education transformation and employability

  TESCEA

  Transforming Employability for Social Change in East Africa is a partnership program linking universities, industries, communities and government. It seeks to improve the learning experience and employability of students while enabling young people to apply their skills and ideas to social and economic challenges. The initiative's first phase was supported through the United Kingdom's SPHEIR program. Later work has included consideration of technical and vocational education, youth enterprise, digital tools and artificial intelligence in education.

• Researcher development and scholarly publishing support

  Rising Scholars

  Rising Scholars, formerly known as AuthorAID, supports researchers in the Global South through mentoring, training, practical resources and professional networks. Its two stated objectives are to improve researchers' prospects of publishing successfully and to increase the visibility and influence of research produced in developing countries.

• Expanded from publication access to broader science and policy capacityStrategy

  Background

  INASP began with a focus on improving access to scientific publications, but research and development constraints also involved publishing skills, institutional capacity, education quality and the use of evidence in policy.

  Action taken

  The organization adopted the International Network for Advancing Science and Policy name and broadened its programs to include research communication, higher education, education systems, policy links and Southern knowledge systems.

  Aftermath

  INASP's current portfolio combines information access with institutional strengthening, researcher development and partnership-led education and policy work.

  Source

• Extended TESCEA toward technical education, enterprise and digital skillsStrategy

  Background

  The later phase of TESCEA addressed the need to connect higher education more closely with employment, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.

  Action taken

  INASP planned to integrate technical and vocational education institutions, seek new expertise and financing for youth business creation, and pilot digital technologies including artificial intelligence for instruction and skills development.

  Aftermath

  The program's scope broadened from university transformation toward a wider skills and employability ecosystem.

  Source

1. 1INASPen.wikipedia.org
2. 2INASP official websiteinasp.info