Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health (LATH), a consulting arm of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, has been awarded a £10 million contract to manage a programme of work supporting a new Health Research Capacity Strengthening (HCRS) initiative in Malawi.
Led by the National Research Council of Malawi (NRCM), the initiative is a 5 year programme supported by the Wellcome Trust, the UK Department for International Development (DfiD) and the International Development Research Centre (Canada) and was developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health and the Government of Malawi.
The initiative aims to strengthen the capacity for the generation of new health research knowledge within Malawi and improve its use in evidence-based decision making, policy formulation and implementation. In collaboration with national stakeholders, it aims to:
- enhance institutional capacity for high quality multi-disciplinary health research;
- promote the use of research in national health policy and programmes;
- enhance dissemination of scientific knowledge in Malawi; and
- strengthen the regulation and coordination of the research environment in Malawi.
A consortium led by LATH and comprising the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Development Management Associates and Calcon will manage a programme of work in support of the initiative.
The consortium will source and manage expertise to develop the NRCM's capacity to manage an enhanced and transparent grant-making process, providing management and financial oversight to strengthen NRCM to the point where external support is no longer required.
Malawi Programme Coordinator Margret Caffrey commented: "Developing capacity and providing appropriate support to NRCM and its implementing partners will focus on empowerment and individual and organisational transformation.
"The strengthening and transfer of key management and strategic planning skills will enable NRCM to more effectively coordinate and manage all health research activities in Malawi. Training and development will be aligned with organisational and institutional realities to ensure that skills and learning are effectively transferred and have the intended impact and results."