A checklist tells research funders how to stop perpetuating colonial power imbalances.

Global health research still suffers from colonial legacies. These past habits determine who gets to make decisions, who leads projects, and who actually benefits. Because research funders decide which problems, places, and methods get money, they hold immense power over this system. To fix these unfair power balances, researchers created a new checklist for funding agencies. It works by guiding funders across six key areas. These include sharing power, making health equity a priority, fixing past underinvestment, handling conflicts of interest, sharing research outputs fairly, and reporting on real-world impact. The authors acknowledge that true decolonization ultimately demands dismantling the entire current aid and funding system. However, this tool places immediate responsibility on funders to address structural inequities. While the checklist still needs real-world testing and refinement, true change also requires broader social, political, and knowledge-based transformations across the field.

Why it matters

Global health research is still shaped by colonial dynamics, with funders in wealthy countries deciding what gets studied and who leads. This checklist gives those funders a practical tool to rebalance power, prioritize equity, and invest in historically neglected systems. If adopted, it could shift billions in research funding toward communities that have been systematically excluded.

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