Managing regional centres' of expertise collaborations with stakeholders including higher education institutions

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assist the United Nations Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) in continuing their fundamental work within the region and to address some of the prominent challenges within the RCE community. Specific RCE case studies from the global network were employed, emphasizing experiences in collaboration with multiple stakeholders including higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach – Conducting a literature review and employing a qualitative research methodology with the use of a guided questionnaire, the paper aims to gain a deeper understanding of the operations of RCEs in general and more specifically the case studies. Findings – The paper shows some of the strategies implemented by the cohort of case studies to overcome their common challenges. Key recommendations based on the findings are made in its quest for continual development and final conclusions assessing the contentious challenges are drawn. Research limitations/implications – This paper focuses on RCEs within Europe, with cases from the USA and Canada for comparison. Although the paper highlights common themes and challenges, it is highly probable that RCEs outside of the studied regions may contend with similar challenges; further research would have to be conducted to assess the wider scope of the situation. Originality/value – The paper gives an external perspective of the challenges faced and identifies some areas in which improvements could be made. It is also generated from information gathered from multi-case study RCEs.