Capacity strengthening programmes and networks

Creating an enabling environment for research

TDR continues to address the significant gap in implementation research capacity, in collaboration with partners in LMICs. Capacity strengthening activities target programme implementers, decision-makers, academics, communities and institutions, thereby democratizing the research process. We also provide strategic and catalytic support to develop research leadership in LMICs through multiple approaches, including fellowship leadership programmes on clinical and implementation research, and by promoting equity and inclusivity in research mentorship programmes.

Objectives

To strengthen the capacity of people, communities and institutions to produce research evidence that is useful for reducing the burden of infectious diseases of poverty.
To strengthen the use of implementation and clinical research, applying a One Health approach, to address global health challenges: control and elimination of diseases of poverty; climate change’s impact on health; epidemics and outbreaks; and resistance to treatment and control agents.

Target audience

Institutions and communities; researchers; frontline workers in health, environment and agriculture; policy-makers and social innovators

Key activities

Fostering networks of institutions such as the TDR-supported research training centres and partners of the postgraduate training scheme and Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT), which organize capacity strengthening activities across the research trajectory (from research question to policy and implementation) and equitable dissemination of TDR’s portfolio of implementation and operational research training courses.
Developing internationally recognized research leaders in LMICs through the Implementation Research Leadership Programme, Clinical Research Leadership programme and postgraduate training scheme.
Developing and offering implementation and operational research training courses, toolkits and guides.
Catalysing research collaborations and fostering the mentorship of scientists through the TDR Global community.

TDR-supported capacity strengthening networks

Research training centres

TDR supports a network of research training centres selected competitively to lead activities for strengthening capacity in implementation research, to enable research relevant to the TDR Strategy 2024-2029 within their respective regions.

Clinical Research Leadership programme

This fellowship programme aims to develop internationally recognized research leaders in clinical research in low- and middle-income countries. The programme focuses on developing research leadership skills, with fellows using their clinical research skills in conjunction with competencies and capabilities to effectively lead, communicate with and support members of a multidisciplinary team. The fellowship includes up to 24 months of training at a leading clinical research organization as well as support for strengthening fellows’ home institutions upon completion of the training.

Postgraduate training scheme

In collaboration with eight leading universities in LMICs, this scholarship programme focuses on providing Master of Public Health education with a focus on implementation research and building capacity to address major global health challenges.

Social Innovation in Health Initiative (SIHI)

SIHI is a global network of country-led research hubs that strengthens the effectiveness and scale-up of social innovations in health by generating actionable evidence and connecting inno vators with policy-makers, researchers and implementers. The network was established in 2014 through TDR’s leadership.

Structured Operational Research and Training Initiative (SORT IT)

Led by TDR, SORT IT is a global partnership that helps countries and institutions conduct operational research aligned with their priorities. It aims to build sustainable operational research capacity and support evidence-informed decisions for improving programme performance. 

2025 key achievements and updates

Developing health research leadership in LMICs:

The first cohort of eight fellows have been selected for the Implementation Research Leadership Programme for Public Health Impact, hosted by Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia and the University of Ghana. (See Spotlight story below.)
The second cohort of 16 Clinical Research Leadership programme fellows (8 men and 8 women) have been selected, and the first cohort of 20 fellows began their training with nine training partner organizations. (A total of 128 fellows – 89 men and 39 women – were supported through the earlier Clinical Research and Development Fellowship programme.)
The postgraduate training scheme partner universities enrolled 50 new master’s students (22 men and 28 women) from 29 countries, of which six are French-speaking countries in West Africa. Since 2015, 546 students have been trained through the scheme.

Developing and offering implementation and operational research training courses, toolkit and guides:

More than 12 000 individuals registered for the nine sessions of the flagship Implementation Research massive online open course (MOOC), delivered in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish through the TDR-supported research training centres (RTCs).
TDR and the research training centre in Senegal have co-created a French-language massive open online course (MOOC) on a One Health approach to implementation research (IR), specifically addressing West and Central African implementation research needs. (See Spotlight story below.)
A new MOOC on communicating research findings helps researchers bridge the gap between evidence generation and real-world impact by improving the uptake of their findings for policy and practice changes. By the end of 2025 more than 3000 participants had registered for the course from 105 countries.
The fifth session of the IR MOOC module on incorporating an intersectional gender perspective in implementation research was facilitated by the research training centre in Ghana. Almost 60% of participants completed and passed the course assessment in December 2025.
A new IR toolkit module on climate change and health has been developed.
The SORT IT curriculum on operational research has been updated and is now available in English, French and Russian.  A four-year SORT IT 2.0 initiative, funded by Luxembourg, will build research capacity on HIV, TB and malaria in Guinea, Benin and Senegal while strengthening use of Global Fund grants. A new SORT IT initiative with 19 institutions in India is strengthening health systems and leadership for universal health coverage through 12 research projects on major global health challenges.

The first session of a MOOC on community engagement in social innovation and implementation research was organized in collaboration with SIHI Asia and TDR Global Asia hubs in January to May 2025. The course enrolled 1576 participants.

The TDR Research Training Centre and SIHI hub at CIDEIM, Colombia, finalized a new MOOC on community-based participatory research.
Uppsala University in Sweden launched a new PhD course on social innovation, and Makerere University in Uganda launched a SIHI community of practice to foster peer learning, advocacy and research on social innovations for improved health outcomes.
A new practical guide on youth co-creation for health, co-developed by young people, TDR, UNICEF, SESH and SIHI, provides a blueprint for engaging youth in research and health programmes, grounded in evidence from systematic reviews, crowdsourcing and global consultations.

All TDR courses and training opportunities are easily accessible through a new repository developed for the TDR website:

Fostering the mentorship of scientists: 

The Health research mentorship in low- and middle-income countries (HERMES) practical guide is being updated, with contributions from the finalists of a crowdsourcing call for practical ideas to improve equity and inclusivity in research mentorship programmes.
The Latin American and Caribbean node of the TDR Global network produced five podcast episodes on mentoring as a tool for professional development and strengthening health research networks.
Three TropmedTalk podcasts, a collaboration between the Asia node of TDR Global and the Centre for Tropical Medicine at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, address the topics of research mentorship in early careers, building collaborative networks in global health research, and gender equity in research.

Spotlight

Fellows selected for TDR’s Implementation Research Leadership Programme

TDR’s new Implementation Research Leadership Programme for Public Health Impact aims to enhance the capacity of public health practitioners and researchers in low- and middle-income countries to address critical health challenges, through implementation science. Following a call for applications, TDR and training partners selected eight fellows who began their fellowships in 2025.

From left to right: Rhondemo A. Kikon, Monjurul Karim, Anita Mahotra, Dina Arisonaningtyas, Habtamu Molla Ayele, Omowumi Fatima Lawal-Lah, John Msugupakula Betwel and Beatrice Obour.

Recently published TDR Global scientist profiles

For more than 50 years, TDR has been supporting scientists through research grants and training programmes to enable their work to tackle infectious diseases of poverty. These stories celebrate some of the achievements that these scientists from the TDR Global community have made and document their impact. For more profile stories, please visit our website.

Suma Krishnasastry (India)

Revolutionizing the management of lymphatic filariasis (LF) symptoms, Suma Krishnasastry forever changed public health policy on this neglected tropical disease. Thanks to Suma, health workers in 32 countries in Asia and Africa have been trained on a new approach to LF care, vastly improving the quality of life of thousands affected by symptoms such as elephantiasis. TDR’s support for Suma’s career has included numerous research grants as well as training on clinical trials and research ethics.

André Siqueira (Brazil)

André Siqueira is Head of the Global Dengue Programme of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) for Latin America and a scientist at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil who received a training grant from TDR early in his career. His inspiring success stories – such as translating Thailand's experience with antimalarial resistance to northern Brazil – show how TDR’s support for global scientific collaboration and exchange can benefit many regions around the world that are affected by the same infectious diseases.

Gustavo Ávila Montes (Honduras)

Gustavo Ávila Montes is a Honduran physician and researcher whose career of more than 30 years personifies the impact of science on public health. Dr Ávila has dedicated his career to the study and control of vector-borne diseases, particularly dengue and Chagas disease, transforming field research into public policies that have helped improve the quality of life of thousands of people in Honduras and other countries in Central America and the Caribbean.