Abstract

This grant will allow the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) to create, host and maintain a web-based resource on national health research in low- and middle-income countries in partnership with institutions in the South. Called Health Research Web (HRWeb), the resource will constitute a comprehensive, authoritative and evolving source of information that facilitates national decision-making and international cooperation on research for health. HRWeb is targeted first to national research authorities, academic institutions and research centres, and then to donors, research institutions in the North and nongovernmental organizations, as resources allow. This grant will allow COHRED to implement the use of HRWeb in two countries, Mali and Zambia. Zambia already has information on its health research system that can be used to create an HRWeb page. The focus will thus be on quality control, maintenance and documenting utilization. Mali currently has very little information on health research, and will therefore need to concentrate its efforts on data collection. The challenges and lessons learned during the two experiences will be documented for the benefit of other countries. HRWeb will be disseminated to a wider audience at the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health, to take place in Mali in November 2008.

Recipient Institution(s)