Professional Documents
Culture Documents
strengthening research
capacity in low- and
middle-income countries:
simple ideas in
a complex world
2014
Contents
Other resources
• The ESSENCE group of funders has also produced a list of funders, capacity
building initiatives and contacts, which will be updated periodically on the
ESSENCE website at:
http://www.who.int/tdr/partnerships/initiatives/essence/en/
• The International Institute for Educational Planning has a website that houses
300 resources on research capacity strengthening at:
http://www.iiep.unesco.org/capacity-development/capacity-development-
strategies/clearinghouse.html
1
Zachariah R, et al. Is operational research
delivering the goods? The journey to success in
low-income countries. The Lancet Infect Dis 2012;
12: 415–21.
Other resources
2
Ager A, Zarowsky C (2013). Addressing complexity
and political economy in health research capacity • For a discussion about the difficulties that LMIC institutions
strengthening: independent researchers working can encounter when attempting to develop a coherent
to institutional and national development strategy to identify and remedy deficiencies in their research
agendas in an era of globalization of knowledge. capacity, and in doctoral training programmes in particular,
University of Western Cape Learning About see: Bates I, et al. Assessing and Strengthening African
Research Capacity Strengthening Series Working
Universities’ Capacity for Doctoral Programmes.
Paper. http://www.hivaids-uwc.org.za/images/
PLoS Med (2011): e1001068. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001068
Ager_and_Zarowsky_AddressingPolitical_
Economy_and_Complexity_Working_Paper_9_ http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/
July_2013.pdf info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001068
3
Medical Education Partnership Initiative, FIC- • For a study on how different consortia addressed challenges
NIH, http://www.fic.nih.gov/Programs/Pages/ during the initial stages of the African Institutions Initiative
medical-education-africa.aspx see: Marjanovic S, Hanlin R, Diepeveen S, Chataway J.
4 Research capacity-building in Africa: networks, institutions
Malaria Capacity Development Consortium
and local ownership. J Int Dev 2012; doi: 10.1002/jid.2870.
institutional capacity baseline needs assessment,
London, UK, 2014. http://www.mcdconsortium. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jid.2870/abstract
org/what-we-do/institutional-support.
14 SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR STRENGTHENING RESEARCH CAPACITY IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
3 | Ensure local ownership initiative might seem like the best way of
lending credibility to an endeavour, while
and active support at the same time securing an invaluable
asset for cutting through bureaucratic
“How do you own something red tape. But if that official has so many
that’s not yours?” John Gyapong, other commitments that they are unable
University of Ghana to devote enough time to capacity
strengthening, an initiative can become
paralysed. On the other hand, consulting
The principle of ensuring local ownership
a high ranking personality for support
of the research capacity strengthening
and political buy-in can be extremely
agenda is certainly nothing new. Both the
important, as embarking on a capacity
2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness
strengthening programme within an
and the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action 1
academic institution without the support
state that countries that receive aid should
of senior figures such as vice chancellors
participate fully in development policy
can also lead to problems. There is often
formulation and the improvement of
a delicate balance that needs to be struck
their own institutions. And yet, of all the
between seeking high-level support
principles contained within this document,
for capacity strengthening, ensuring
the gap between rhetoric and practice is
appropriate leadership of the programme
probably greatest when it comes to the
and seeking active support.
concept of ownership.
The Nigeria Evidence-Based Health
For recipients of funding, it can often feel
Systems Initiative (NEHSI) 2 struck
like a one-way street. Funders, who are
that balance perfectly. A partnership
overwhelmingly from the global north, are
between the Government of Nigeria, the
often seen by recipients in LMICs as driving
Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and
the capacity strengthening agenda and
Development Canada and the International
trying to “sell” pre-packaged proposals in
Development Research Center, NEHSI
an effort to secure what can be perceived
was set up to support primary health care
as tokenistic “buy-in”, rather than
reforms in Nigeria, and benefitted from
formulating a programme by consensus.
a detailed, 2-year planning stage before
For their part, the often genuine will of
being launched. During that period, the
funders to engage with and to be led by
project’s planners engaged in intensive
local stakeholders can be hamstrung by
consultations with different levels of
uncertainty over who to engage with.
government and stakeholders in the health
The question of who to consult looms system, yielding an indepth understanding
large. Funders can, often understandably, of capacities and priorities that helped
become preoccupied with the notion that shape the project. State and local
local support and leadership for capacity government authorities set the research
strengthening should come from the priorities and were deeply involved
highest level possible within institutes and throughout the project, ensuring local
governments. But fixation with seniority ownership by creating a true partnership.
could have adverse consequences. Additionally, a large component of the
Engaging a high-ranking government project was a social audit, to ensure that
official to lead a capacity strengthening communities’ voices were heard.
SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR STRENGTHENING RESEARCH CAPACITY IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES 15
A recent (2013) report 3 reflecting on the forums and with formalising strategic
success of the “Research management capacity strengthening goals. For
in African universities: from awareness example, the Chinese Academy of Medical
raising to developing structures” project, Sciences has recently taken charge of
funded by the Carnegie Corporation of a massive programme of investment in
New York, tells a similar story. This 3-year new biomedical research infrastructure
project, which finished in 2009, aimed designed to address gaps that it identified
to help five universities develop their in existing capacity in line with national
organizational structures for research health priorities.
management. The authors concluded that
campus visits were central to the project’s
success, not only because of the “huge 1
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation
amounts of knowledge” gained, but also and Development, France, 2013.
because “talking to a range of staff and http://www.oecd.org/dac/effectiveness/
academics from different areas can help parisdeclarationandaccraagendaforaction.
htm#Paris
to build and strengthen relationships”.
The authors also point out the importance 2
International Development Research Centre,
of making sure you “understand your Canada, 2014. http://www.idrc.ca/en/programs/
university’s leadership, so that you global_health_policy/governance_for_equity_
understand key institutional structures”. in_health_systems/pages/nehsi.aspx
3
Sida has taken an even more radical Kirkland, John and Patrice Ajai-Ajagbe. Research
Management in African Universities: From
approach to ensuring ownership by asking
Awareness Raising to Developing Structures.
potential partner universities to set out
Association of Commonwealth Universities,
a 10-year concept note indicating where London, 2014. http://carnegie.org/publications/
they would like to be in terms of research search-publications/pub/496/
training and human resources in the next
4
Swedish International cooperation development
ten years. This concept note, which can
agency:
be shared with other funders, includes
http://www.sidaresearch.se/apply-and-report/
a 5-year plan that Sida could consider
research-training-partnership-programme-.aspx
funding.
1
Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation: Framework
for Capacity Strengthening in Health Research,
ESSENCE, Geneva, Switzerland, 2011.
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2011/tdr_
essence_11.1_eng.pdf
2
Boyd A, et al (2013). Frameworks for evaluating
health research capacity strengthening: a
qualitative study. Health Res Pol Sys; 11: 46.
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/
content/11/1/46
3
Bates I, et al. Evaluations of health research
capacity strengthening: a review of the
evidence. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine,
Liverpool, UK, 2014. http://archive.lstmliverpool.
ac.uk/3332/1/poster%20hrcse%20600%20
papers%2028oct12%20final%20ib.pdf
18 SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR STRENGTHENING RESEARCH CAPACITY IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES
1
The Centro Rosarino de Estudios Perinatales
(CREP), Rosario, Argentina, 2014. http://www.
who.int/pmnch/about/members/database/
Centro_Rosarino_Estudios_Perinatales/en/
index.html
Other resources
• For an analysis of the likely indicators of sustainability in
research capacity strengthening, see: Bates I, et al. Indicators
of sustainable capacity building for health research: analysis
of four African case studies. Health Res Pol Sys 2011; 9: 14.
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content/9/1/14
CASE STUDY | The Wellcome Trust Different consortia have focussed their
African Institutions Initiative (AII) efforts on different areas. The Consortium
for Advanced Research Training in Africa
The African Institutions Initiative was set
(CARTA) has worked very closely with
up in 2009 with the aim of strengthening
northern partners to develop accredited
the capacity of institutions and
curricula for training courses and has
universities to carry out research by
helped create a pool of trained research
encouraging networks and collaborations.
talent. Training Health Researchers into
Seven consortia involving 51 sub-Saharan
Vocational Excellence in East Africa
African institutions and 20 high-income
(THRiVE) has had success in addressing
country institutions were funded in
the problem of brain drain from LMIC
following competitive process. Consortia
institutes by encouraging a huge shift in
are driven by a lead African Institution,
institutional policy at Makerere University
headed by an African national, with over
in Uganda. A strong teaching universities,
90% of the funding going directly to
Makerere used this opportunity to build
African Institutions.
on their previous work to develop 2-year
Each consortium exists in a unique postdoctoral awards that include stipends,
context. They have had varying levels of university fees, research costs, plus travel
success, have faced and in some cases and conference expenses, to a number of
are still facing different challenges and successful applicants. The policy has been
can each contribute in a unique way to taken on by the entire University and will
our knowledge of what works in capacity hopefully provide a template for other
building. universities and help to foster a culture
of research at the university. Along with
AFRIQUE ONE, for example, provides a THRiVE, the Southern African Consortium
dramatic illustration of how research of Research Excellence (SACORE) has set up
capacity strengthening efforts can be research support offices within university
disrupted by external political forces and to act as hubs for everything from grant
also shows how such disruptive effects writing to research costing.
can be minimized. The consortium is led by
Bassirou Bonfoh, the Director of the Centre The Wellcome Trust has commissioned
Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques (CSRS) an extensive real-time evaluation to
in Côte d’Ivoire. Following a contested capture the lessons learnt every year
presidential election in Côte d’Ivoire in for each consortia and the initiative
2010, the political crisis escalated into a as a whole. Emerging lessons reflect
full- scale civil war during 2011, which led the principles in this document. The
many funders to pull out of the country. importance of communication, flexibility
The impact this had on the scientific and good research support structures
research community in the country as a was readily apparent when dialogue
whole was devastating. However, funding between funders and applicants led to the
from the Swiss Government and the conclusion that there was a gap in many
Wellcome Trust remained in place, with the applicants’ capacity for financial reporting,
result that research and research capacity which led to delays in payments and
strengthening through CSRS and AFRIQUE reduced productivity in some consortia.
ONE continued throughout the crisis. Subsequently, KPMG Kenya was contracted
to design financial training courses to
close this capacity gap.
SEVEN PRINCIPLES FOR STRENGTHENING RESEARCH CAPACITY IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES 29