LSTM is delighted to have been shortlisted, in two separate categories, for this year’s Times Higher Educational Awards.
After being awarded Best International Collaboration of the Year for the RESPOND-Africa programme in 2021, LSTM’s Bump it Forward campaign is shortlisted in the same category for 2022. The campaign, developed by LSTM’s Fundraising team, was rolled out at speed during the COVID-19 pandemic, asking the public to donate the cost of their vaccine (c£25) to provide PPE and other equipment to protect health workers in African countries until the vaccines reached them.
Collaborating with seven existing African partners the campaign procured and distributed PPE to 166 healthcare facilities in eight countries. Raising more than £285,000 Bump it Forward brought additional benefits of economic impact through procurement in partner countries while enhancing visibility and reputation and strengthening partner relationships.
This year LSTM is also shortlisted in the category of Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for promoting the implementation of structured reflexivity statements to advance equitable partnership in international research collaborations. As a global organisation LSTM is committed to promoting equitable research partnerships. As part of an international collaboration, an Equitable Authorship Consensus Statement Group, several members of LSTM, developed a new and pragmatic approach to the problem of parachute research – i.e. research that is conducted in low- or middle-income countries (LMIC) by researchers from institutions in high income countries, without adequate recognition of the contribution of LMIC research teams. This approach has been endorsed by LSTM and researchers are being supported to embed this throughout the lifecycle of a research project from inception to publication.
Professor Hilary Ranson, LSTM’s Dean of Research Culture and Integrity said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted again after our success in the awards last year. The two categories in which we have been shortlisted are particularly relevant to the values that LSTM seeks to promote as a global centre of excellence in research and education that seeks to improve health outcomes in disadvantaged populations by working in equitable global partnerships’,