North–South research funding dynamics of collaborative projects: researchers’ appropriation strategies of agencies’ project frameworks

North–South research funding dynamics have been progressively marked by the rise of project-based funding responding to agencies’ predefined research topics. Still, Southern researchers’ behaviour to cope with Northern agencies’ project frameworks remains an understudied question. This article addresses this gap by examining Southern applicants’ practices when preparing proposals for collaborative research for development projects in the social sciences, in particular their strategies to appropriate Northern donors’ frameworks. Findings single out that the appropriation process leads to the co-creation of a new cognitive framework accommodating both researchers’ and funders’ interests expressed in different agendas. This article also contributes to shedding light on Southern researchers’ active role in the face of asymmetric relationships. Finally, findings inform research management about the importance of defining relatively large frameworks that include applicants’ knowledge, competences, and contextual features to enhance local relevance while contributing to the policy debate on project-based funding impact on contemporary research.