UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education

History of UNESCO Chair-CBRSR

Co-directed by Dr. Budd Hall and Dr. Rajesh Tandon, the UNESCO Chair – CBRSRHE was established in 2012. However, the seeds of the Chair were sown by its pioneering Co-Chairs as early as in the 1970s, when Dr Tandon and Dr Hall collaborated on the creation of the International Participatory Research Network. This network was to focus on acknowledging the knowledge mobilization of individuals engaged in social struggles, activism, and civil society movements.

Over the years, Dr Tandon continued his commitment to community-based participatory research (CBPR); and in 1982, he founded the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) in India, where he serves as President. Meanwhile, Dr Hall held positions at the International Council for Adult Education, University of Toronto, and later at the University of Victoria, Canada. In 2008, the University of Victoria hosted the Third Community-University Exposition (CUExpo2008), leading to the formation of the Global Alliance for Community-Engaged Research (GACER), chaired by Dr Tandon and supported by Dr Hall in a secretarial role.

This was also when the UNESCO Higher Education emphasized social responsibility, backing the creation of the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) in 1999. GUNi, based in Barcelona, Spain, organized international events exploring diverse social and cultural themes related to global higher education.

In 2008, Dr Hall and Dr Tandon contributed to the Third GUNi Report on Higher Education and Human and Social Development. Following this, Dr Tandon led a GACER delegation at the 2009 International Conference on Higher Education in Paris.

Term I of the UNESCO Chair: 2012-2016

After the 2009 Paris conference, discussions unfolded among UNESCO, GUNi, and GACER, leading to GACER proposing the establishment of a UNESCO Chair. A partnership between the University of Victoria, Canada, and PRIA, India, formalized this proposal for a shared Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. Dr Hall and Dr Tandon were jointly appointed as Co-Chairs, symbolizing a collaborative venture linking institutions in the Global North and the Global South to champion community engagement and knowledge mobilization in higher education.

The Chair’s first four years may be seen as a period of international research and development of strong communications across a variety of regional and global networks. During its first term, the Chair’s target was to determine good practices in the field of community-based participatory research, identify perceived needs and understand how various regional and global higher education networks, involved in supporting community-university engagement, operated.

Term I Highlights

  • Advancing the Mission of the UNESCO Chair
  • Report on Higher Education in the World
  • Strengthening Community-University Research Partnerships
  • Building the Next Generation of Community-based Participatory Research
  • Research and Publications

Term II of the UNESCO Chair: 2016–2020

The Chair’s second term (2016-2020) was marked by more targeted research and policy advocacy. Its continued efforts during these years led to the creation of the Knowledge for Change (K4C) Global Consortium for Training in Community-Based Participatory Research. The K4C consortium was mainly launched to address the globally observed gap in community-university engagement and prepare the next generation of CBPR practitioners and academics.

This period was also when the Chair’s advocacy influence in both Canada and India, within specific research contexts as well as the UN SDGs, expanded significantly. Partnerships also deepened with key global networks, such as GUNI, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), the International Association for Universities (IAU) and the Talloires Network.

Term II Highlights

  • Building Global Coalitions
  • Inception of K4C Global Consortium for Training in Community-Based Participatory Research
  • Knowledge Democracy
  • Research & Publications

Term III of the UNESCO Chair: 2020–2024

The groundwork laid in the preceding two terms paved the way for the third term. The voice and presence of the UNESCO Chair expanded as it progressed with the mission to narrow the gap between communities and academic research. The K4C consortium expanded as more K4C Hubs joined forces; while policy changes began to materialize as well. For instance, in India, in consultation with the UNESCO Chair, the University Grants Commission (UGC, the apex university governing body) mandated Community-Based Participatory Research training for faculty.

During this term, the Chair advanced with focused projects that could support researchers and universities transition towards knowledge co-creation, such as the Bridging Knowledge Culture project. This era was marked by the broadening of the Chair’s work and the exploration of directions that furthered the Chair’s mission.

Term III Highlights

  • Bridging Knowledge Cultures
  • Open Science and the Decolonization of Knowledge International Webinar Series and Indigenous Circle
  • UNESCO World Higher Education Conference 2022
  • K4C Consortium and K4C Hubs

Term IV of the UNESCO Chair: 2024–2028

In the next phase, the Chair aims to expand the knowledge arena through various activities and research, and by forging new partnerships. Going forward, the Chair plans to continue supporting the Open Science Recommendation, collaborate on the UNITWIN Network of Transformative Knowledge, and address indigenous contributions to knowledge mobilization and higher education.

The Chair’s Knowledge for Democracy Consortium is set to expand its training function regionally, aiming to add 32 new hubs and train 5,000 next-generation scholars across 25 countries by 2028.

Way Forward for the Chair

  • Strengthening Capacity in Global South and Excluded North
  • Deepening Research in Knowledge Democracy
  • Expanding Policy Dialogues
  • Catalysing New Chairs