INVESTING IN HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

INVESTING IN HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Research capacity building in developing countries

UNDP/World Bank/WHO

Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR)

Research capacity building in developing countries

TDR/RCS/GEN/03.1

Copyright ? WHO/TDR 2003 All rights reserved.

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Concept and design: Andy Crump, Laura Napolitano Cover and layout: Lisa Schwarb Text: Sheila Davey Photos: Andy Crump, Mark Edwards, Wendy Stone (TDR Image Library)

4 Foreword

Contents

Introduction

6 The way forward 7 Investing in research capacity strengthening

New basic knowledge

8 Sima Rafati ? IRAN: New parasite gene discovery in efforts to prevent leishmaniasis 10 Rodrigo Correa-Oliveira ? BRAZIL: Natural immunity to schistosomiasis 12 Francine Ntoumi ? GABON: Research capacity building for molecular studies of malaria parasites

New and improved tools

14 Zhou Xiao-Nong ? CHINA: Development of early warning system to prevent outbreaks of schistosomiasis 16 John Gyapong ? GHANA: Research capacity building for elimination of lymphatic filariasis 18 Aboulaye Djimde ? MALI: Malaria research helps prevent deaths from drug-resistant forms of the disease

New and improved intervention methods

20 Shyam Sundar ? INDIA: Building research capacity for clinical trials of leishmaniasis drugs and vaccines 22 Fred Binka ? GHANA: World-class health research centre trains researchers from Africa and Asia 24 Abdul Faiz ? BANGLADESH: Strengthening capacity for clinical trials of new treatment for severe malaria

New and improved policies

26 Roberto Brice?o-Leon ? LATIN AMERICA:TDR small grants strengthen health and social science

research capacity

28 Obinna Onwujekwe ? NIGERIA: Research could help ensure sustainable access to treatment for

onchocerciasis

30 Feng Zheng ? SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Schistosomiasis research and training network

Partnerships

32 NIGERIA: PIMRAT a hub for malaria research and training in Africa 34 Health Internetwork: Global initiative to bridge the digital divide 36 NEPAL: Strengthening health research capacity

Foreword

For over 50 years, scientific and technological advancements have created tremendous opportunities for progress in combating tropical diseases. But developing countries cannot find solutions to their public health problems merely by acquiring equipment and medicines.Today, skills and aptitude matter more than ever before.The ability to optimally exploit knowledge and devise solutions to local problems that work in prevailing conditions is paramount. Not everyone needs the latest technological advances. But every developing nation needs capacity.The capacity to identify benefits and opportunities and to adapt them to their own needs and constraints, the ability to initiate and engage in research and apply knowledge and technology to essentially local problems, moving beyond the mere application of results generated by others.

The past decades have witnessed an exponential growth in scientific research capacity in developing countries ? where TDR's target diseases have their greatest day-to-day impact, and where solutions to the diseases and their detrimental influence on individual and collective livelihoods and productivity are most urgently needed.This is evidenced by the greater financing of research and development (R&D) and a corresponding increase in the number of people engaged in research in developing nations.TDR has played a significant role in this expansion.The programme has not been alone in promoting and improving individual and institutional R&D capacity in developing countries. However, since it was established over 25 years ago,TDR has continued to invest substantially and strategically in creating or boosting research capacity in developing countries, as an explicit objective of the Programme. While our capacity building strategies have traditionally been flexible, responding to changes in internal and external environments, this goal has remained, and will remain, constant.

TDR has several significant comparative advantages, which separate it from other agencies. One is the continuum of funding opportunities available to scientists resulting in a fundamental long-term commitment to the capacity building process. Researchers can initially obtain support for research training, followed by further specialist grants to facilitate the development of an independent research career, or grants for institutional development, scientific partnerships and networks with the longer term objective of sustainable R&D funding.

Investing in capacity building is not without risk ? there have been failures but more often than not success. One of the commonest problems has been that of identifying outstanding individuals, training them and then seeing them simply become part of the `Brain Drain' of talented individuals emigrating to more attractive situations in industrialised nations. Almost uniquely,TDR has managed to avoid this, with virtually all TDR trainees having returned to their disease-endemic home countries or to their region and established research careers. Consequently, institutions have often grown through the coalescence of often dispersed, isolated, local groups into international collaborative partnerships and centres of excellence. Moreover, some individuals have also exceeded expectations and established exceptional careers in science ? and beyond.

Measured in numbers,TDR support for capacity building has encompassed over 1200 individuals from over 400 institutes in 80 countries included in the UN definition of "developing countries". However, this indicates only the `supply side' of the equation and does not adequately describe the real and comprehensive contribution these individuals have made. In this publication, the careers of a few selected TDR-funded individuals are briefly described, along with the impact of their work on the disease situation in their home countries. They are presented within TDR's current strategic R&D framework.They represent an alumni that would be hard to find an equal to.They represent past successes, present endeavour and substantial hope for the future.TDR is committed to ensure that the paths these proven leaders have pioneered so well are followed by many others over the coming decades.

Carlos M. Morel Director, TDR

5 TDR/RCS/GEN/03.1

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