Manuals
Expert consultation and review of the manual on health research system strengthening
This manual is designed to support the efforts of forward-looking health research leaders in developing countries – directors of research, senior managers, medical school deans, leaders of health research programmes, and those in similar roles.
It proposes a framework and approaches based on more than a decade of work by COHRED with senior health sector officials, managers and research leaders in many countries.
These approaches respond to a need voiced by country partners that health research needs to be more responsive to a country’s specific needs – in two words: better managed.
Many health research leaders have voiced concern that current health research activities are not of direct use to policy and decision making, and that they do not consistently produce evidence that guides decision makers on how to proceed with health sector reform, the delivery of health services or staffing needs of the country’s health research system.
This guide gives a step-by-step approach to improving health research systems, in a practical and realistic way. It is a work in progress. In its final form, the guide will offer tools and modules that managers can use to develop.
Tools for health research system development
- A framework for governance and management for health research.
- A process for setting health research priorities, and managing and measuring progress.
- A process for developing health research policy.
- An approach for assessing national health research systems.
Learning between countries
The framework and approaches will be complemented by experiences, stories and examples of how senior health research leaders are strengthening their systems.
Expert consultation
Experts interested in providing input can download the review version of the manual and the review form below. Please send comments To Dr Andrew Kennedy at COHRED or call to discuss particular issues of interest in more detail (tel: +41 591 8903).
