Innovation, Information, Evidence and Research (IER)

Strategic objectives

  • Innovation: Act as a catalyst of innovation for health by identifying and prioritizing needs, and supporting new ways of addressing them both equitably and ethically, including through increased access to new or improved health technologies, interventions and strategies.
  • Empowerment: Empower policy makers, healthcare providers and consumers, as well as researchers, through the provision of reliable information, knowledge and evidence.

Primary aims

  • Ensure effective access to information, knowledge, products and technologies.
  • Support the innovation chain of discovery, development and delivery.
  • Lay emphasis on equity, transparency and mutual accountability.

Key projects

  • Innovation for the ageing population.
  • Implementation of the 10 recommendations of the Commission of Information and Accountability for Women and Children's Health.
  • A WHO Platform on Innovation and Empowerment for Health to bring together innovators, producers, policy-makers and users from high, middle and low-income countries.

Reliable health information is often expensive and difficult to access, but essential to improve health systems performance. WHO's Innovation, Information, Evidence and Research Cluster (IER) was established to inform public opinion on health, collate epidemiological data and promote research and innovation.

Assistant Director-General

Marie-Paule Kieny

Assistant Director-General - Innovation, Information, Evidence and Research

IER departments

  • Ethics and Social Determinants (ESD)
  • Health Statistics and Information Systems (HSI)
  • Knowledge Management and Information (KMS)
  • Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (PHI)
  • Patient Safety Programme (PSP)
  • WHO Centre for Health Development, Kobe (WKC)

IER partnerships

  • Health Metrics Network (HMN)
  • Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR)

IER initiatives

  • Independent Expert Review Group (iERG)
  • Technology Transfer Initiative (TTI)