ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and reflects upon a Canadian-Guinean research team’s effort to support capacity building in socio-anthropological methods as the primary benefit sought by Guinean partners. Sharing benefits in research is enshrined in global guidance for the ethical conduct of all research. While there exist some clear standards for shared benefits in the context of clinical trial research conducted by better-resourced partners in low- and middle-income countries, what constitutes shared benefits in qualitative global health research that involves collaboration across disparately resourced research environments cannot be as readily defined. We review the challenges and possibilities of applying shared benefits to such studies through an analysis of a project conducted in Conakry, Guinea in 2016–2017. We stress the importance of there being a clear sharing of expectations between all co-investigators involved to better plan capacity-building objectives and strategies. We also highlight the need to recognize that capacity building is bidirectional. Upholding equity in global health research requires questioning assumptions that researchers from better-resourced countries possess more or more valued capacities in research. Those members of research teams invited to provide “training” or facilitate capacity building, are also always learners.
