Internationalising research in a neoliberal climate: maintaining integrity in developing and executing funded comparative research

This study contributes to the debate on the impact of internationalising research in the neoliberal climate, through the case of a multinational project funded through competitive bidding. While neoliberalisation of higher education has been explored from multiple perspectives, the impact around competitive research funding as a performativity measure has not received due attention, in particular concerning international collaboration. Research supported by competitive funding is often managed through rigid measures combining narrow success criteria and tight accountability. This paper discusses the challenges in developing and executing an international project in this context, as encountered by a multinational research team. Analysing the team's reflective writing and written conversations spanning over three years, we illustrate how the team managed to engage in genuine knowledge-building and collaboration, which the global neoliberal research governance system inadvertently undermines. The paper concludes with some recommendations to redress such unintended consequences and effects.