Strategic analysis to strengthen health research and development systems in low- and middle-income countries

WHO’s Research for Health Department convened international experts for a virtual meeting on 8–9 May 2024 to discuss how to strengthen health research and development (R&D) systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC); the meeting was co-hosted with Uniting Efforts for Innovation, Access and Delivery. The deliberations highlighted the need for an end-to-end approach to R&D that would allow LMIC to better align health R&D with country needs, increase innovation and access, and ultimately achieve greater health impact. Furthermore, speakers suggested that strengthening R&D ecosystems in LMIC would require reengineering how the building blocks of knowledge are generated, coordinated and deployed. The experts also emphasized the importance of developing greater human capital capacity as the foundation for health R&D and innovation. Finally, the convening meeting underscored that developing stronger R&D systems in LMIC relied on bolstering financing from a range of sources, from domestic governments to sources of patient capital.