Health Security Preparedness Research, Development and Innovation
Health security preparedness research, development and innovation aims to use evidence to advance emergency preparedness capacities at local/community, national and international levels with interventions tailored to each context and available resources. Preparedness R&D is a globally coordinated approach to inform health security preparedness through implementation and operational research.
The goal of preparedness R&D is to scale-up operational and implementation research that will expand our understanding of health security risks and their impact as well as complement existing initiatives, such as those focused on developing and evaluating diagnostics, vaccines and pharmaceuticals. Such knowledge would facilitate the development and use of contextual and comprehensive whole-of-society approaches that integrate science, policy and practice through advocating for sustainable funding for prioritized preparedness research.
Framework for Health Security Preparedness Research, Development and Innovation
WHO is working with stakeholders to develop the Framework for Health Security Preparedness Research, Development and Innovation (RDforHS), which will focus on addressing challenges and identifying opportunities in health emergency preparedness. The overarching concept of RDforHS is to advance operational and implementation research on health security preparedness focused on the 3 pillars and 2 coordinating features (roof and floor) illustrated above.
Small Grants for RDforHS: Collaboration between EHS and Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR)
The Evidence and Analytics for Health Security (EHS) unit, as part of the Department of Health Security Preparedness (HSP), is co-supporting a small grant program with the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR). This grant program supports research into the implementation of preparedness-related capacities alongside capacity building exercises with grants of US$ 5,000 to US$ 15,000 provided to grantees working in low- and middle-income countries.