Michael Devlin, COHRED Irish Forum for Global Health 30 November, 2010 Maynooth

1. Research for Health Approaches to research system strengthening – country perspectives Michael Devlin, COHRED Irish Forum for Global Health 30 November, 2010 Maynooth

2. Toward ‘system thinking’ What is research system building and why is it important? Issues for countries and donors. The world COHRED would like to see. Putting system building in to action: ‘Research for Health-Africa’

3. Redefiningdevelopment doing it enabling it charity vertical programmes development

5. The issue 5 million lives saved... …but a statistic is missing

6. After ten years of work – mostly targeting Africa – there are no WHO pre-qualified vaccine producers in Africa. Question: Ten years from now, should the Alliance’s work be considered a success if it had not help build the capacity for Africa to be a supplier and producer of some of the vaccines used on the continent? The world we would like to see

7. The economic success of the world’s high income countries since the World War II was built on deliberate and planned investments in science and technology1. Today, donors and development partners: Support primarily short term projects and activities targeting short term resluts Seldom cover overheads Do not invest in the infrastructure and capacity building that has brought their countries sustained growth and stability. 1.Science and Innovation for Development, Sir Gordon Conway and Professor Jeff Waage, with Sara Delaney. UKCDS, 2010. The world we would like to see

8. The missing link: An investment in systems, for governance and management of research in low income countries is a direct investment in a country’s economic future. The world we would like to see

9. Remark by NEPAD official in External Review The international context is becoming more complicated and needs more adapted tools and mechanisms….. ….a gap between strategies/programmes of international players mandated by the international community (i.e. UN bodies including WHO) and the true aspirations of the low and middle income countries

10. Responsible Vertical Programming

11. Investing in research & innovation • old examples: USA, Western Europe • Lisbon treaty – 3% of GNP on science and technology • more recent examples : South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore • actively changing now : India, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand, China • aspiring low income countries : Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania

12. India & Brazil

13. Uganda The money will help Uganda fulfil an ambition, stated in the government's budget for 2010–11, to cut its dependence on foreign aid — the country received US$1.66 billion in development assistance in 2008. Museveni's plan for spending the oil windfall is set out in a five year national development plan, published in mid-April, which focuses on innovation and applied science. Among the aims are the construction of four regional science parks and technology incubation centres to foster entrepreneurship.

14. Rwanda

15. Nigeria Governor SuleLamido of Jigawa state has called on international donor organisations and other developed countries of the world to always conceptualise their programmes and projects of support in cognisance of the peculiar needs of the benefiting countries. The governor declared that "The approach has to be changed, programmes and projects like this have to be developed, based on our perspective and needs otherwise, it will be of no impact to us". He explained that Nigeria has passed the stage in which a concept will be developed in far away Europe, "which has no connection with our peculiarity and expect that idea to work here".

16. Taking a systems perspective COHRED support to countries

17. The world we would like to see Strong national systems for ‘research for health’. Low and middle income countries have skills and systems to manage research and innovation for improved health, equity and development. Donors and health programmes research funders use country priorities as a starting point . ‘Responsible programming’ of vertical health initiatives All external programmes and actors operating in research for health in low and middle income countries will also build the capacity of researchers and the systems their partner countries. Council on Health Research for Development

18. COHRED Support countries to strengthen their health research systems. Technical assistance, tools and approaches Share experience between countries ‘Making the case’. Studies + advocacy for global health funds to target priorities of low and middle income countries.

19. Practical tools, approaches Framework - National Health Research System Strengthening Support to policies priorities, governance, research management….and more Framework – Research Capacity strengthening Developing capacity – researchers, institutions, system Pharmaceutical Innovation Tool Support to countries – developing innovation strategies and capacity.

20. Political commitment Priority setting Policy development Coordinating mechanism Human resources for HR Financing Science communication Information systems

21. increasing research capacity developing comprehensive national research system support

22. Health Research Web www.healthresearchweb.org

23. Research for Health-Africa programme NEPAD-COHRED supporting partner countries

24. Goal: Work with national institutions to become centres of excellence for health research for development and system strengthening Research is a key driver for development But insufficiently used in Africa - due to unclear: research governance structure priorities/direction, and policy framework Research for Health Africa

25. Research + S&T institutions - Senegal, Tanzania (3rd country to be confirmed). NEPAD Agency COHRED Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Other countries to join Partners

26. Start-up phase – Support to countries • Strengthen governance, including priority setting, policy framework. • Develop a national information systemfor research for health • Measurement and tracking - develop M&E system • Further system strengthening - research utilisation capacity, ethics review capacity

27. Tanzania – issues and challenges (2009) • Strengthen research governance • Improve access to essential information to manage research • Enhance financial stability for research for health

29. Issues and challenges – Senegal • Partners: • Ministry of Health, Ministry of S&T and Higher Education • Governance: building blocks in place, but enhanced coordination needed, also across sectors • Financing: implementing international recommendations that are supported by the MoH Senegal • Desire to build national information system (also to track financial resources)

32. Redefiningdevelopment doing it enabling it charity vertical programmes development

33. Thank you

34. Rwanda To prosper, Rwanda would have to confront other dubious Western ideas. The rich world, says Kagame, still looks at Africa with "absolute contempt" for being poor. Aid and human rights are just Western arrogance in a white SUV, a fresh manifestation of the old belief that Africans cannot take care of themselves. Fix the poverty via business, which has rocketed — not aid, which Kagame insists is temporary — and you remove the reason for prejudice. "The rich world says Rwanda is a small country, an African country, a poor country," he says. "I reject that."