Health Research Capacity Strengthening: A UKCDS Mapping

UKCDS has completed a mapping of over 300 global initiatives which aim to strengthen health research in low- and middle-income countries. This exercise was undertaken to inform discussions of the MRC Global Health Group on future research capacity strengthening activities. 

The mapping is intended to provide a (non-exhaustive) overview of the many funding initiatives that aim to strengthen health research capacity in low- and middle-income countries, as well as key qualitative findings gathered through semi-structured interviews.

At its core, it explores funders' activities at three different levels of the innovation system: support for individuals; institutions; and the enabling environment for research. It moves on to consider the geographical scope of these initiatives; the thematic areas of health research for which there is most support; and emerging trends in health research capacity strengthening. 

At the start of each section of the mapping is a summary of the key findings, and the main body of the report is followed by an annex which summarises a number of funders' key initiatives in more detail. A blog outlining the main headlines from the mapping can be found here.

We are always seeking to engage with interested partners so please get in touch for more information on the project or leave a comment on our blog.