Global Health Research Initiative launched

Four federal health organizations have banded together to form the Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI), the first time in history they have pooled their expertise and resources to tackle issues for which they have mutual interest.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Health Canada have formalized a framework agreement for launching new programs and research strategies for global health. It is seen as a prime opportunity for Canada to build capacity in this often-neglected discipline of health research. It’s also the first time that Ottawa has formally embraced the idea.

Data from 1998 indicate that only 10% of the US$73.5 billion spent on health R&D in that year was allocated to 90% of the world’s health problems, the majority of which are concentrated in poor nations. The GHRI is seen as a first step to improving the so-called “10-90 gap” and is enthusiastically endorsed by the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, a group composed primarily of university-based health researchers.

Canada can contribute world class expertise in areas such as HIV, vaccines and health systems which will be disseminated through programs that link Canadian researchers with their counterparts in developing nations.

The agreement allows CIHR to honour the part of its mandate to fund Canadian researchers studying health issues in other countries. Money would be sourced from strategic funding envelopes contained within its 13 institutes, as well as funds from the CIHR secretariat.

It’s hoped that GHRI will provide researchers with an incentive to consider global health as a career option, as well as developing strategies for responding to the health priorities and agendas of poorer nations. How effective the GHRI will be depends on the level of buy-in from Canadian universities and agencies associated with the four founding organizations.

“Research is the only long-term mechanism that can fully address the variety of health issues facing the world’s population,” says CIHR president Dr Alan Bernstein.

R$