Elsevier and Research4Life report finds researchers in low- and middle-income countries are ambitious and globally engaged, but face multiple barriers across the research journey

More than half of the world's published researchers are now based in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), up from 13% in 1994, yet many still struggle to fund, start and publish their research on equal terms. New horizons in participation: Strengthening research in low- and middle-income countries, a new Elsevier and Research4Life report, finds that while 59% have collaborated internationally, more than half (54%) cite finding platforms to connect with partners as a top obstacle to starting, and only 51% feel they have equal opportunity to publish in international journals. The report sets out recommendations across seven areas to move beyond access to full participation.

The survey, reaching 1,122 researchers, is co-designed with the Research4Life Equity Committee and conducted by Elsevier. The report also draws from interviews with over 100 institutional research leaders conducted by Research4Life and ITOCA.

Key findings

• Securing funding remains a significant challenge: 52% of researchers applied for funding in the last three years, 48% say limited international support and partnerships hinder access to funding. Success is lowest in low-income countries and Sub-Saharan Africa.

• An emerging AI divide: Institutional leaders voiced strong demand for trusted guidance on responsible AI use in research. They also raised concerns that researchers in low- and middle-income countries could fall further behind as colleagues in high-income countries use research-grade AI tools to accelerate their work.

• Many have collaborated internationally but find it challenging: 59% took part in international collaboration in the last three years. Finding platforms to connect (54%) and identifying suitable collaborators (54%) are the top obstacles to starting collaborations; overcoming financial barriers (42%) is the biggest challenge once under way.

• Authorship and publishing gaps persist: 24% report an authorship-related issue, most often a lower authorship position than expected (15%). While many have published in a global or international journal, only 51% feel they have equal opportunity to do so.

• Open access is valued but perceived as costly, and support reaches too few researchers: 88% say publishing open access is important and 73% cite article processing charges as the main influence on their choice of publishing venue, and only 48% have ever benefited from a waiver or discount.

• Willing to review, and join an editorial board, yet not invited: 87% are interested in peer reviewing and 75% in joining an editorial board, but only 37% have been invited to serve on a board in the last five years.

• Awareness is a bottleneck: 38% are familiar with Research4Life, and 82% of those who have heard of it find it useful for their work.

"Twenty-five years ago, Elsevier was one of six founding publishers to join the World Health Organization in establishing Research4Life," said Laura Hassink, President, Elsevier Journals. "The findings tell a consistent story: researchers in low- and middle-income countries continue to encounter barriers at almost every stage of the research journey – despite the evident drive, international engagement and dedication to contributing to global science. Our commitment remains the same in spirit and larger in scale: to help ensure researchers everywhere have the opportunity not only to access knowledge, but to create it, shape it and lead it."

The report calls for action across seven areas:

• Funding: Funders should build researchers' grant-writing capabilities through practical support and mentoring.

• AI: Institutions and publishers should provide guidance on responsible AI use and widen equitable access to trusted AI tools.

• Publishing: Publishers should expand and clarify APC waivers, promote suitable open access routes and adopt the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) so authorship reflects actual contribution.

• Peer review: Publishers should build reviewer and editor pipelines through recognition, training and proactive invitations.

• Conferences: Organizers and institutions should offer travel grants and discounts for participants from LMICs, and make remote participation and translation support standard.

• Networks: Professional societies and membership organizations should offer waivers and discounts and bring researchers from LMICs into governance roles.

• Awareness: Research4Life should keep libraries at its heart and empower them to build awareness, while extending outreach across the broader research ecosystem.

“This survey was shaped by our Equity Committee, representing voices from Research4Life-eligible countries and from across our partnership, so the questions reflect real experiences. Researchers already apply for funding, collaborate internationally and publish globally: what they ask for is a fair chance to do so on equal terms,” said Prof. Tandi Lwoga, Chair of the Research4Life Executive Council. “This is the shift our next strategic plan must reflect: from access, to capacity, to full and equal participation. Twenty-five years after our founding, the measure of our partnership’s success is no longer how many researchers we reach, but how many now shape research from positions of leadership.”

The findings will inform Research4Life's next strategic plan. The full report and databook are available at https://tinyurl.com/r4l2026-reportopens in new tab/window.

Note to editors

Elsevier supports Research4Lifeopens in new tab/window as a founding publisher, contributing around 14% of the material available in Research4Life, and, through the Elsevier Foundation, has invested nearly $1 million in Research4Life training, including the Country Connectors program, which has built ambassador networks across 16 countries since 2022.

About Research4Life

Research4Life is a partnership of five UN agencies (WHO, FAO, UNEP, WIPO, ILO), Cornell and Yale Universities, the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM) and more than 200 international publisher partners. Research4Life’s mission is to build an inclusive, diverse and equitable scholarly communications environment by delivering free or low-cost access and user-focused training and resources to researchers in low- and middle-income countries. www.research4life.orgopens in new tab/window

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