International research partnerships and cross-cultural project management: a Vietnamese beef cattle agribusiness autoethnographic case study

Introduction This case study explores enablers and barriers that contribute to the successful implementation of a complex official development assistance (ODA) research project, focusing on a multiyear research project aimed at integrating smallholder households and farm production systems into commercial beef supply chains in Vietnam. Researchers from diverse institutions in two countries have worked together over time to implement project activities that have involved local governments and private stakeholders. Methods This qualitative research uses an autoethnographic case study approach to explore the enablers, barriers and collaborative dynamics of an international research partnership. Through collective sense-making, our international and multicultural research group collaboratively interpreted our experiences of working together on a multi-year project that aims to investigate new collaborative approaches between smallholder farming households and commercial intensive agricultural systems with a focus on beef supply chains in northern Vietnam. Results Transdisciplinary research conducted by a multicultural research team required engagement across sociocultural, institutional and relational layers or boundaries. Key factors contributing to success included long-term relationship building and trust, distributed and culturally sensitive leadership, multi-level communication systems, methodological pluralism and shared problem framing. Discussion A design and evaluation framework is presented to assist researchers to plan, design, modify and evaluate their international projects. Lessons from this case study provide insights into managing interdisciplinary and intercultural collaborations and improving the effectiveness of international research partnerships.