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 Introduction
The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems
Research was established in November 1999 as an initiative sponsored by the
Global Forum for Health Research in collaboration with the World Health
Organization. The Alliance
aims to promote the generation, dissemination and use of knowledge for
enhancing health system performance. One of its strategic objectives is to
facilitate the development of capacity for the generation, dissemination and
use of knowledge among researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders.
To achieve this objective the Alliance has sponsored
in the past Young Researcher Grants to encourage the attainment of a critical
mass of researchers in the field of HPSR. The Alliance Board has decided to
strengthen this approach through supporting capacity development of
postgraduate research programs with a focus on HPSR.
Objectives of the program
The capacity of postgraduate
research programs will be supported to pursue the following objectives:
 Strengthen the capacity of teaching programs
to address HPSR
Increase the interest of students in research
into health policy and systems and supporting dissertations in this area.
Further the policy relevance of postgraduate
HPSR teaching and dissertations.
Grants
Grants will be offered to
strengthen the capacity of Masters or PhD teaching programs in HPSR-relevant
areas such as public health, health service administration, health systems
organization, health economics and hospital management. Teaching programs in
middle income countries should have a regional or sub-regional focus as
demonstrated by their curriculum, research and student enrollment. Teaching
programs in low-income countries can have a focus in a single country. A
total of up to USD 25,000 will be provided for a period of one year,
renewable on the basis of results.
Teaching programs should
already have some capacity to address HPSR teaching and to support
dissertations in this area as evidenced by appropriately qualified staff and
a track record of research on relevant topics.
Capacity strengthening will
involve a combination of the following actions:
Increasing the quality of postgraduate learning
in HPSR, particularly in syllabus development, protocol writing, research
methods, data processing, interpretation, writing-up and publication.
Supporting HPSR Masters or PhD dissertations,
to include field work, data processing, writing-up
and project supervision.
Improving the links between HPSR teaching and policy
and systems development through workshops and dissemination.
Interventions to increase the
quality of learning can include a number of actions, for example inviting
national or international experts and policy makers for conferences and seminars, supporting HPSR
dissertation seminars, providing access to on-line journals through HINARI1
and undertaking curricular planning and development through expert advice. In
particular, the use of the training modules on research for policy and
practice produced by CTP is encouraged2.
Support for dissertations
should focus on enabling fieldwork and research to ensure feasible, low cost
research through appropriate methods. Importantly, support should increase
efficiency of teaching programs. Proposals should clearly indicate the
proposed allocation and disbursement mechanisms to ensure: fair and
transparent decisions on allocation of student dissertation grants between
students; maintenance of academic standards; and required balance between low
and middle-income country students.
Proposed procedures should include peer review of dissertation
protocols, to be organised by the teaching program
and to include at least one external reviewer.
Improving links with policy
and systems may include exercises based on curricular development to ensure
interaction with policy makers and system managers at various stages of
course work and dissertations, or to strengthen the links between students
and their employers in the case of part-time, sponsored studies. These can
include identifying research priorities and questions, literature synthesis
on specific relevant topics, writing of executive summaries and disseminating
research results among policy makers and the community (for example, results
obtained by a previous generation of students).
Applicants will propose the
balance of activities and expenditures across the three line items to meet
their needs with greatest efficiency given local costs. Applications
including any combination of line items will be accepted. However, an
emphasis on dissertation activities is encouraged to ensure that research is
the main driver for improved learning and policy linkages. Administration
costs (overhead) are not allowed and should be considered as a contribution
by applicant institutions. However,
direct costs related to the operation of teaching programs will be allowed.
Proposals will be accepted
only from teaching programs in low (LIC) and middle income countries (MIC)3. Successful applicants from MIC should balance benefits
for LI and MI students and a significant number of LIC students should have
enrolled in the past five years. Only LIC and MIC students will be funded for
dissertation grants and these should favor LIC students or at least be evenly
divided. Fees and per diem can be included
for technical support to be received from high-income country nationals.
Costs allowed under a) and c)
can include fees, travel and per diem for external personnel, staff salary
supplements in line with institutional criteria, office costs and publications.
Purchase of equipment will be allowed only by the institution as part of a).
Costs under b) dissertations
may include travel, per diem, interviewer fees, processing costs and the
acquisition of databases. During fieldwork and writing-up students may be
allowed a living stipend if necessary. Project supervision may include travel
and per diem for the thesis supervisor.
Selection Process
The Alliance Board will select
applicant institutions on the basis of peer review of proposals. The criteria
to be applied are:
Existence
of strategic plans for the development and sustainability of the teaching
program.
Trained
staff and track record in HPSR at regional (for MI countries) and country
level as evidenced from publications and dissertations.
Emphasis
on low-income countries as evidenced from student enrolment in the last five
years.
Quality
of the proposal, demonstrating potential to cost-effectively strengthen
capacity through improving teaching, dissertations and dissemination.
Who can apply
Proposals will be accepted
only from teaching programs in low and middle-income countries. Only low and
middle-income country students will be funded. Fees and per diem can be
included for technical support from high-income country nationals.
How to apply
Proposals should be submitted by email in
English, French or Spanish in the formats annexed. The formats and guidelines for submission are also available in the Alliance Web site: http://www.alliance-hpsr.org
Teaching programmes
are also requested to provide additional information on research capacity
through a brief, on-line questionnaire. Please visit the Alliance Web site:
http://www.alliance-hpsr.org/aspfiles/survey/engine_survey.asp?language=en
A brief curriculum
vitae (3 pages maximum) of all relevant teaching staff and thesis supervisors
should be annexed to the proposal highlighting teaching, supervision of
dissertations and research in HPSR.
Additional letters of support or attachments
can be sent scanned or by post, clearly indicating the name of the teaching
program co-ordinator and the title of the proposal.
Emailed proposal should reach the Alliance not later
than close of business on 16
January 2004.
Send proposals by email to: alliancehpsr@who.int
Please state in the
subject heading "YR Grants Round
3".
If mailed by post,
send proposals to
Alliance for Health Policy and Systems
Research
Office No. 4123
World Health
Organization
20, Avenue Appia
CH 1211 Geneva 27 – Switzerland
HINARI, The Health InterNetwork
was created by WHO and journal editors to bridge the
"digital divide" in health, ensuring that relevant information -
and the technologies to deliver it - are widely available and effectively
used by health personnel: professionals, researchers and scientists, and policy makers. See www.healthinternetwork.net
The goal of CTP "Health Research for
Policy, Action and Practice: a Collaborative Training Program" is to
support strategies to increase the impact of health research on policy,
programs and practice through training and institutional development. The modules
focus on practical experience and best practices regarding health research priority setting, knowledge management and advocacy and leadership. See www.alliance-hpsr.org
The categories used are those from the World
Bank: Low Income Countries (LICs) with $755 or
less, Lower Middle Income Countries (LMICs) between
$756 and $2,995, and Upper Middle Income Countries (UMICs)
between $2,996 and $9,265.
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