Tracking the career development of scientists in low- and middle-income countries trained through TDR’s research capacity strengthening programmes: Learning from monitoring and impact evaluation

Abstract

The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) co-sponsored by UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank and WHO has been supporting research capacity strengthening in low- and middle-income countries for over 40 years. In order to assess and continuously optimize its capacity strengthening approaches, an evaluation of the influence of TDR training grants on research career development was undertaken. The assessment was part of a larger evaluation conducted by the European Science Foundation. A comprehensive survey questionnaire was developed and sent to a group of 117 trainees supported by TDR who had completed their degree (masters or PhD) between 2000 and 2012; of these, seventy seven (77) responded. Most of the respondents (80%) rated TDR support as a very important factor that influenced their professional career achievements. The “brain drain” phenomenon towards high-income countries was particularly low amongst TDR grantees: the rate of return to their region of origin upon completion of their degree was 96%. A vast majority of respondents are still working in research (89%), with 81% of respondents having participated in multidisciplinary research activities; women engaged in multidisciplinary collaboration to a higher extent than men. However, only a minority of all have engaged in intersectoral collaboration, an aspect that would require further study. The post-degree career choices made by the respondents were strongly influenced by academic considerations. At the time of the survey, 92% of all respondents hold full-time positions, mainly in the public sector. Almost 25% of the respondents reported that they had influenced policy and practice changes. Some of the challenges and opportunities faced by trainees at various stages of their research career have been identified. Modalities to overcome these will require further investigation. The survey evidenced how TDR’s research capacity grant programmes made a difference on researchers’ career development and on south-south collaborations, by strengthening and localizing research capacity in lower income regions, and also showed there is more that needs to be done. The factors involved, challenges and lessons learnt may help donors and policy makers improve their future interventions with regard to designing capacity strengthening programmes and setting funding priorities.

“It’s A Steeper Hill for Women to Climb!”: An Intersectional Gender Analysis of Familial and Socio-Cultural Drivers of Inequitable Scientific Career Progression of Researchers in the Context of the DELTAS Africa Initiative

“…In line with a number of other researchers in SSA [4,6,9,10,30], this study found that women's socially ascribed caring responsibilities and expectations of marriage within the 'rules' of the family as an institution are strongly reinforced by familial and wider societal pressure [10]. Our ndings support others which have shown that some women interrupt their careers to adhere to social norms of marriage and establishing family, lest they be ostracized and blamed for neglecting them [6,9,10,31].…”

Subsequent Cancer Prevention and Control Activities Among Low- and Middle-Income Country Participants in the US National Cancer Institute’s Summer Curriculum in Cancer Prevention

“…A common concern regarding trainings hosted in HIC settings for highly trained LMIC researchers is that they may draw participants away from LMICs, where their expertise is greatly needed. 12 Our findings suggest that this is not the case for this short-term training program and that it in fact contributes to capacity building in LMICs, both through the training of Summer Curriculum participants and those they subsequently train in LMICs using Summer Curriculum objectives and content.…”

Ripple effects of research capacity strengthening: a study of the effects of a project to support test facilities in three African countries towards Good Laboratory Practice certification

“…Ripple effects were identified beyond the research system, with rich descriptions of how the GLP project was making a wider difference to the lives of the people and communities that surround the test facility ( Figure 1 ). Unexpected effects arising from research capacity strengthening initiatives have been previously identified, particularly in the development of transferable skills 11 , 28 . The findings presented here highlight beneficial effects for communities close to the testing sites which were meaningful to those engaged in the GLP project.…”

“…Building research capacity in public health and related fields is essential to the generation of robust, innovative and locally relevant scientific data. When research staff are highly skilled and research infrastructure at institutions is strong, the evidence generated by these institutions can inform national policies, support progress towards population health goals and contribute to socioeconomic development [1][2][3][4] . Research capacity strengthening is increasingly an area of focus for international development and global health partners and funding bodies 5,6 .…”

“…Also, when the point of ripple effects is being discussed (discussion), the point of unintended effects could benefit from citing additional evaluation studies of research capacity strengthening actions that Refs 22-26, i.e. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27223888/ 1 or https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29216192/ 2 where clear ripple effects were shown even when not given that vocabulary. Throughout the text, there seem to be quite some redundancies, i.e.…”