The Humanitarian & Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) is hosting training workshops with the aim of enhancing responsible research practice, by promoting consistent, ethically sound practice across social science and humanities disciplines as part of University’s Research Culture and Environment framework.
Our project – ‘Beyond the Ethics Board’ – will deliver evidence-informed tools for qualitative researchers (academic staff, postdocs and PGR students) conducting fieldwork in the UK and abroad, particularly in crisis and difficult settings setting or with vulnerable populations. We are running three thematic training sessions to introduce and validate these tools to mitigate ethical issues.
Workshop audience and format
These workshops will be participatory and hands-on, providing participants with a unique space to share their experiences, practices, and challenges. The workshop will employ various techniques, including individual experience-sharing and group discussions. The facilitators are experienced researchers with a background in working with in these settings, and will draw on their recent multi-country collaborative research.
We invite researchers from any disciplinary background interested in the ethics of conducting research with communities and international collaborators to participate in these workshops. We especially encourage early-career researchers with an interest and experience in disaster and conflict settings.
Background
International collaborations are both desirable and often unavoidable in successful research projects. Yet they often come with some hurdles. As part of the wider efforts to promote responsible research practices beyond regulatory frameworks, these workshops examine the ethics of international collaborations, data sharing, and working with communities in qualitative social science, with a particular emphasis research in conflict- and crisis-affected societies. While institutional ethics and various committees play a crucial role in setting the parameters to protect research participants, they rarely capture the full range of ethical dilemmas that arise during fieldwork in crisis settings.
[Fully Booked] Workshop 1: Knowledge production and the ethics of international collaborations
Date and Venue: Wednesday, Dec 10, 2025 (1pm – 3.30pm, Room B2.4 in Ellen Wilkinson Building, UoM)
Workshop Leads: Dr Birte Vogel (HCRI, UoM) and Prof Nemanja Džuverović (University of Belgrade)
In this workshop we want to create space to reflect on the ethics of collaboration, especially with Global South based researchers, and the underlying power-dynamics that shape many of these interactions. We will take stock of the most common ethical challenges and offer some practical tools to address them. For instance, one recurring challenge is the recognition of local collaborators’ contributions. Research findings demonstrates that partners are often reduced to acknowledgements, while disputes over authorship and data ownership can arise long after research has begun. These challenges expose the limits of treating ethics as a one-off exercise tied to institutional approval, rather than as a continuing, situated practice.
The workshop provides a space for participants to reflect critically on their own experiences of collaboration, to share dilemmas, and to consider how power relations shape the production of knowledge. Through guided discussion and case examples, it seeks to foster a more open culture of ethical deliberation that extends beyond compliance and promotes more equitable partnerships. As a practical support, the workshop will also present a collaboration template designed to help researchers and partners clarify expectations around contributions and authorship at the outset of their projects.
[SESSION OVERSUBSCRIBED]
Workshop 2. Ethics of data sharing
Date and Venue: Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (1pm – 3.30pm, Room B2.4 in Ellen Wilkinson Building, UoM)
Workshop Leads: Prof Larissa Fast (HCRI, UoM) and Prof Bertrand Taithe (HCRI, UoM)
This session will raise questions about the ethics of qualitative data sharing and record keeping, with a particular focus on questions related to closing projects (the ethics of closure) and repeated visits to communities in crisis (the ethics of over-research). The session will present several initiatives aimed at balancing participant expectations with ethical data considerations and the urgent need to record-keep (the Humanitarian Archive Toolkit and a contemporary oral history collection to document the closure of the US Agency for International Development).
Apply to participate: https://forms.office.com/e/L7STwrB3fi
Workshop 3. Ethics of researching with communities under difficult circumstances
Date and Venue: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 (1pm – 3.00pm, Room B2.4 in Ellen Wilkinson Building, UoM)
Workshop Leads: Dr Nimesh Dhungana (HCRI, UoM) and Dr María Lucia Zapata Cancelado (Javeriana University, Colombia)
This workshop responds to the growing interest among researchers in collaborating with communities, rather than treating them solely as research subjects. Influenced by participatory, community-based, feminist, and decolonial approaches, newer forms of research methodologies aim to give communities more agency in designing and delivering research. Although formal ethical reviews are conducted, ethical practices on the ground vary widely depending on partnerships with local researchers and the influence of local norms. In conflict zones, communities often seek a voice and recognition in research, while researchers must protect their partners’ identities. The urgency to collect data in crises can sideline local collaborators. Research highlights frequent gaps in transparency and peer accountability in such collaborations. Moreover, researchers must navigate complex questions about who defines the “community.” Without careful reflection, they risk reinforcing existing power hierarchies under the guise of engagement.
Apply to participate: https://forms.office.com/e/L7STwrB3fi
Next Steps
- To apply to participate, please complete this short form: https://forms.office.com/e/L7STwrB3fi
- If you have any questions, please contact HCRI Office at: hcri@manchester.ac.uk