Research Incubation
Includovate is a research incubator which actively develops, nurtures, and advances research talent, methods, and agendas—particularly in low and middle-income countries—to address inequality and exclusion. Includovate promotes locally led knowledge creation by pairing researchers from privileged communities with those less advantaged, investing profits back into capacity building for national researchers, and co-creating inclusive, participatory research processes with marginalised groups (Fig.1). This support is tailored to empower local and national researchers—especially from low-income countries—with the skills, tools, and leadership opportunities needed to thrive in participatory and inclusive research settings.
Figure 1. Includovate changes systems of unequal knowledge creation through research incubation and talent development.
“Includovate has an authentic and supportive learning culture. I always feel my coworkers want to see me do well, cheer me on me, and encourage me to reach new goals. There is room to grow – you are not expected to do everything perfectly first time – but you are expected to try your best.”
Natalia Pastori Curbelo, Associate Researcher, Includovate
Key ways Includovate operates as a research incubator
Through these activities, Includovate directly enables new talent and approaches to thrive in the research field, addressing the root causes of poverty, inequality, and exclusion by incubating transformative and inclusive solutions.
Capacity Building:
Includovate trains and mentors local researchers, strengthening their ability to design, lead, analyse, and publish research.
Collaborative Knowledge Creation:
Includovate’s model emphasises the co-design of research agendas and knowledge exchange among diverse researchers, facilitating context-relevant, locally rooted inquiry.
Innovative and Participatory Methods:
Includovate develops and uses participatory, feminist, and action-oriented research methodologies to study exclusion, intersectionality, and social transformation.
Ethics and Safeguarding:
Our ethical review board (IRB) and mandatory ethics training ensure research quality and participant protection, which are central to the ethical incubation of new research initiatives.
Learning by Doing:
We offer researchers the chance to work on actual projects and learn by doing, all the while mentoring them and providing feedback to strengthen their approach.
Inclusive PhDs:
This scholarship programme enables people living in low- and middle-income countries or from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete PhDs without leaving their home country. They work part-time for Includovate while pursuing their PhD at an Australian partner University and receiving a full-time salary.
“Includovate was the first firm I heard of that actively tried to hire researchers with disabilities. They went out of their way to find people with disabilities who wanted to have a research career and brought them in to build their capacity. Being a researcher is hard and stressful work — so you need support to make it.”
Sisay Mamao, Includovate Alumnus and Board Member
“Includovate’s contribution to decolonising research is immense. It gives those of us in the Global South a chance to voice our opinion and influence research done about our lives. Reflexivity and positionality are well acknowledged within Includovate. “
Ethiopia Yemiru, Former Research Analyst, Includovate
Why is research incubation needed?
Includovate’s research incubator is needed because most conventional research fails to genuinely include, empower, and build capacity for those most affected by poverty, exclusion, and discriminatory norms—especially in low-income countries where neo-colonial practices prevail. Many fly-in and out researchers take the data collected home to rich countries where they analyse and publish without anyone from that country being involved (Fig. 2). Includovate addresses a critical market gap: the lack of participatory, innovative, and ethical methodologies that bring marginalised communities into all phases of research, enable local researchers to lead and publish, and deliver robust evidence for systemic change.
Figure 2. Shows how present-day research perpetuates exclusion
“My time at Includovate will forever remain the cornerstone of my research career and growth. I was introduced to research of the highest rigour, and meaningful work on high-level, impactful, development projects I honed my qualitative research skills with NVivo, and even drafted a journal article. This culminated in me landing a dream research role in an international research consultancy within the space of a year!”
Conrad Buluma – Alumni, Includovate
Figure 3. The capacity development ladder
Figure 3 illustrates the research development ladder for individuals in low and middle-income countries. Often, this ladder is broken, hindering their progress and leading to underemployment. This untapped talent can be cultivated to foster more inclusive knowledge creation.
“l have had the privilege of working with various consulting and research firms in Ethiopia, but my experience with Includovate really helped propel my career forward. I was fortunate enough to work on — and eventually lead — international projects. After leaving Includovate, I secured a position with a salary that was more than double what I had previously earned. Includovate is truly dedicated to cultivating research capabilities.”
Dr. Befikadu Esayas, formerly Senior Ecosystem Researcher, Includovate
Unlike traditional models, Includovate not only delivers research and consulting services but reinvests revenue into developing early-career and national researchers, creating inclusive, context-driven solutions to measure, study, and change discriminatory norms. This model is vital for building sustainable research ecosystems, promoting social inclusion, and ensuring that those most affected by development challenges have the skills, agency, and voice to shape solutions.
A Call to Invest in Inclusion
Includovate’s mission is bold but deeply practical: to transform who creates knowledge, whose voices are heard, and whose insights shape the systems that affect them. With your support, we can expand the reach of our Research Incubator to include more early-career researchers, particularly women and underrepresented groups, across Africa, the Pacific, and Asia.
$3,000 funds a 6‑month research internship for one emerging researcher.
$5,000 helps a researcher from a low or middle income country publish an academic journal.
$10,000 supports a full‑year fellowship combining mentorship, fieldwork, and leadership training.
Whether you are an individual philanthropist, a foundation, or a mission-driven corporate donor, your contribution directly strengthens global equity by funding the next generation of inclusive researchers and advocates.
Inclusive research doesn’t just generate data; it changes who gets to shape the world.