Global Gathering of Civil Society Research Center Directors
Professor Tobias Jung, Director of the Centre for the Study of Philanthropy & Public Good (CSPPG) at the University of St Andrews Business School, attended the Global Gathering of Civil Society Research Center Directors. The meeting, co-organised by the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR), the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, and the Rockefeller Archive Center, brought together 22 research centre leaders from across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe to explore ways for building stronger collaborative networks aimed at offering peer support in research, teaching, and deepening connections to civil society, policy makers, and stakeholders, in order to strengthen civil society around the globe. After the meeting, Professor Jung commented:
Having the opportunity to come together to exchange experiences on running our respective centres, and sharing insights on managing the numerous challenges that civil society research centres face – including the widespread lack of core funding to operate the centres, the shrinking space for civil society in numerous countries, as well as the limited career trajectories for the next generation of researchers in the field – was a real privilege. I look forward to continuing the conversations with colleagues over the next couple of months in preparation for a wider meeting at this year’s ISTR conference in summer.