
Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
Displaying 1-20 of 37 links
AORTIC aims to improve cancer research, control and prevention in Africa. The organisation runs research projects on cervical cancer screening, hosts biannual conferences and publishes a monthly newsletter, in English and French, with news and commentary on cancer-related activities around Africa as well as a list of upcoming events. AORTIC's website offers links to other organisations working on cancer in Africa, lists training opportunities for scientists and health workers, and provides free access to relevant training manuals, scientific articles, books and presentations.
APUA is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote appropriate antimicrobial use worldwide. It does so through antimicrobial resistance research, education, capacity building and advocacy at the global (it has 60 chapters in various countries) and grassroots levels. The website’s information is pitched both at patients and healthcare practitioners and researchers. It features upcoming meetings and conferences, and a detailed list of publications.
This international HIV/AIDS charity dedicates a section of its website to traditional medicine, and with good reason — traditional medicines are especially popular with people who have HIV. The website provides advice for those seeking traditional remedies for HIV, lists potential therapies and highlights the role of traditional healers in combating HIV in Africa. It advocates that traditional healers are well placed to encourage HIV prevention, and convince people to get tested for HIV if they are at risk.
The Gates Foundation's nutrition programme aims to include essential vitamins and minerals in the diets of people in the developing world, and to guarantee proper nutrition under the age of two, including in the womb.
Progress sheets and a strategy overview on the organisation's nutrition program are available to download as well as press releases and information on grants given. The website also includes job listings, downloadable fact sheets, financial statements and annual reviews.
The foundation funds population-wide food fortification programmes and invests in research and development of diagnostic tools and biomarkers for identifying and measuring micronutrient deficiencies. It also funds research to examine how different nutritional interventions affect infection.
The Center engages in advocacy on public issues such as nutrition, food safety and health, of which antibiotic resistance is a part. The site tackles the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, including animals' treatment with antibiotics also used by humans.
It also has information directed at the general public — such as advice on when antibiotics are necessary, which common illnesses are caused by bacteria and which by viruses; and also tells people they shouldn’t demand antibiotics from their doctor.
The health gateway of the Climate Institute, which aims to help policymakers tackle climate change, has detailed notes on the resurgence of infectious diseases through global warming. These include vector-borne diseases spread through mosquitoes, ticks, triatomine bugs, sandflies and blackflies. It also looks at rodent-borne diseases, which are also set to increase as the climate changes — increased heavy rainfall can drive rodents out of their burrows and climate change is set to alter human migration patterns which could bring people into closer contact with rodents.
COHRED is a nongovernmental organisation that supports developing countries' use of health research to improve their health systems and advance development. It does this through advocacy, technical support, research and knowledge sharing.
The COHRED website lists current programmes and initiatives and provides links to publications including reports, manuals, working papers, presentations and policy papers. Information on how to get involved is also available for policymakers, donors, civil society organisations and media, among others.
This website publishes the work of FHI 360, a development organisation with an evidence-based approach to improving lives by advancing integrated, locally driven science solutions. The organisation works in the fields of health, nutrition, education, economic development, civil society, environment and research. The website provides access to issues of their monthly newsletter Insight, and details of current and past projects. It also provides links to relevant publications and organisations.
FoodFirst opposes the use of genetic engineering in agriculture and food. It publishes briefings, position papers and opinion articles on genetically modified crop technology in relation to sustainable agriculture, hunger and poverty. Its website includes audio and video interviews with FoodFirst staff as well as photo galleries illustrating, among other topics, agriculture in developing countries.
The Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions is a charity that was founded in 1993 to promote India’s self reliance in primary health care and to help India’s traditional knowledge make a contribution to the world of medicine. It describes itself as an 'unconventional' educational institution that includes research into the conservation scientific analysis of medicinal plants.
The Global Forum for Health Research provides evidence, tools and discussion forums for decision-makers in research funding and policy to improve the health of the poor. Although it covers issues for both infectious and non-communicable diseases, the agency recognises that mental health problems are severely neglected in developing countries. As well as links to various publications and reports, the website also hosts RealHealthNews, which aims to share news on research and interventions that can improve the health of those in developing countries.
GRAIN is a nongovernmental organisation that promotes sustainable management of agricultural biodiversity. The food crisis section of this website links to publications and websites about the global food crisis and its impact on small-scale farmers in the developing world. It publishes articles, films and audio files including several articles on the rise in 'land-grabbing', in which, to ensure their own food security, rich countries buy up large tracts of land in poor ones.
This partnership of government and non-government organisations, researchers, international bodies and the private sector has a much-called for goal: to increase cooperation between organisations involved different sectors such as health, climate, humanitarian assistance, ecosystems, research and operational services.
The partners collaborate on regional projects to increase capacity within the medical and environmental science communities; use rural communication networks to provide information to remote communities; and enhance the capacity of public-health services to predict and respond quickly to cholera, malaria, meningitis and other climate-sensitive diseases.
The INCTR is dedicated to helping build capacity for cancer treatment and research in countries in which such capacity is limited. The network, which has support from the US National Cancer Institute, aims to build capacity for cancer treatment and research in countries with limited resources through long-term collaborative projects coupled to training and educational programmes. It also seeks to promote international collaboration on cancer control between developed and developing countries. The INCTR is located at the Institut Pasteur in Brussels but also has branches in the US, France, Brazil, Egypt and Nepal and offices in the UK, India and Tanzania. The website contains details of the network's activities in various countries.