What is the Programme about?

SDH-Net’s aim is to strengthen and link research capacities for health and its social determinants in African and Latin American low and middle income countries in close collaboration with partners in Europe.

Health inequalities between and within countries have persisted and even increased in some contexts. Substantial differences in health between different social groups are primarily defined by broader social inequities and their determinants. While health inequities extend across the globe, consequences are particularly dramatic in low and middle income countries. As health inequities are complex and form a global challenge which extends beyond the health sector, linking expertise and exchanging experiences across sectors and countries is indispensible.

As such, what is required are platforms for the exchange of best practices. Research findings also need to be focused on how to strengthen research capacity and health systems in low and middle income countries and to develop contextually relevant approaches to pressing health problems. Comprehensive strategies towards reducing health inequities need to address the interface between research and practice to guarantee evidence-based decision making. Through SDH-Net, the COHRED Group is working to do this.

What is happening in the Programme?

SDH-Net is a four year (2011-2015) collaboration project, financed by the European Commission under the 7th Framework Research Programme and was launched in October 2011.

The overall project is organised in three phases. The active involvement of the COHRED Group is expected to take place in phase 1 of the project – being run throughout 2012 – which is essentially focusing on the assessment of capacity building needs in the partner countries.

Programme Achievements

The capacity needs assessment aims at setting the basis for comprehensive and locally relevant capacity building;

• describing ways to develop interdisciplinary research capacity by linking needs and capacities and creating paths across sectors, disciplines, countries and regions, while enhancing south-south learning and collaboration;
• defining which research capacity building measures are needed and how these could be addressed by the project.

COHRED’s Partners

SDH-Net is coordinated by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) with long term experience in health research and capacity building in low and middle income countries, and IESE Business School, with sound experience in management capacity building.

The project is being carried out by a strong consortium, based on clusters of existing networks of public health institutions from Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. The team is complemented by two distinguished European public health institutions, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and University of Geneva, and one global organization supporting research and innovation for health, equity and development in low- and middle-income countries, The COHRED Group.

Who do I contact for more information?

Gabriela Montorzi on email montorzi@cohred.org