Capacity strengthening

Introduction

African researcher receiving training in Chinese institution

WHO/TDR/Simon Linn

Developing countries have, to date, been under-represented in health research efforts – at both the institutional and researcher level. Capacity strengthening/building initiatives aim to address this by improving the ability of developing world institutions and researchers to contribute to global research. There are various approaches to capacity strengthening, including improving the capacity of individual researchers through training courses, supporting partnerships and developing leadership skills.

Ultimately, building research capacity internationally will help produce a global pool of researchers who are able to make use of current knowledge and techniques to develop strategies, tools and methods to tackle disease that are best suited to their local setting and needs.

TDR - capacity strengthening

TDR has been a leader in capacity strengthening since its inception. We have a dual mission to not only develop new tools and strategies, but to also develop research capacity and leadership in the disease endemic countries.

We have supported thousands of scientists in developing countries, and these scientists are providing important national, regional and international research evidence. Many are leading research institutions in their countries and/or have become international players in the field. Though our newly launched empowerment function, we are focused on strengthening this leadership among researchers in the developing world so that they can help shape the health research agenda. We provide fellowships for career development, support leadership training, and offer short courses around the world on relevant topics ranging from Good Clinical Practice to Project Planning and Management.

A new donor harmonization initiative called ESSENCE is based at TDR with a small secretariat, a start-up steering committee and a larger group of funders interested in research capacity strengthening. Donors and funders are working collaboratively through this initiative to support capacity building.