In 2005 the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) set up a network of eight Nanomedicine Development Centers to form the NIH Nanomedicine Roadmap Initiative. The collaborative centres are staffed by multidisciplinary research teams including biologists, physicians, mathematicians, engineers and computer scientists. The recently completed first phase of the NIH programme was designed to investigate the chemical and physical properties of nanoscale biological structures. The next phase will be to use this understanding to treat disease.

A key APUA research initiative, this project is trying understand the role of commensal bacteria (normal or harmless bacteria) in the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

It is compiling existing commensal isolate data and literature into a web-based bioinformatics tool. It also uses statistical, risk analysis, and mathematical modelling techniques to analyse the data to determine whether the frequency of antibiotic resistance genes in commensals can predict the subsequent emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacterial populations. The project has the capacity to award research sub-grants to fund research to produce the data it needs and has awarded 10 research sub-grants since 1997.

ROAR’s fully searchable database is open-access to other researchers in this field, and they can use it to analyse or to input data.

This organisation provides policy analysis, critical information, decision-making tools, and policy advice to governments, civil society organisations and international funders, aiming to stimulate social and economic progress in low- and middle-income countries. It focuses on long-term projects, combining programme implementation with research and analysis. Its website gives an overview of focus areas and current projects in health, good governance, transparency and education. Links to publications are provided, as well as latest news and events.

Indigenous Knowledge Systems is a special focus of the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa. The NRF aims to: develop theoretical and methodological paradigms within which to understand the specific characteristics of IK; shed light on the role of IK in nation-building; develop research capacity in the field of IK in South Africa.

The centre heavily invests in nanotechnology research for health. It has a laboratory dedicated to devising new methods of drug delivery, and another to identifying new molecular targets at which to aim drugs for cancer or other serious diseases. The centre actively seeks to engage in technology transfer with other developing nations.

The IPTi Consortium consists of leading centres of malaria research in Africa, Europe and the United States, and two UN agencies — the World Health Organization and UNICEF. It has developed a comprehensive research and implementation agenda to quickly resolve scientific questions on whether intermittent preventative treatment with malaria drugs is safe and effective for infants. By answering these questions, it aims to move the intervention into policy and practice.

IARC's mission is to undertake research on the causes of human cancer, the mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and to develop scientific strategies for cancer control. It develops strategies at a theoretical level, however, and does not get involved in direct implementation nor contribute to the formulation of policies or legislation. The agency also does not on the whole contribute to research in to cancer treatments.

The agency publishes several key publications on epidemiology (especially of the disease in developing countries), pathology and genetics. To encourage research, the agency offers several fellowships, scholarships and training courses.

This informal network, part of the University of Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health, brings together over 100 organisations working to promote and scale up adoption of practices and technologies that improve drinking water quality for vulnerable populations.

By providing information and promoting independent research, the network aims to reduce water-related diseases by promoting water treatment and safe water storage at the household level. The website provides an overview of the network, working groups and guiding principles. It lists participating organisations and relevant events, and publishes a monthly newsletter.

The NCMHD Center of Excellence for Nutritional Genomics — a collaboration between five university departments, research institutes and hospitals — publishes news, information and commentary on research that cuts across nutrition, genomics, and health. It also provides a list of definitions, image library and links to relevant sites and users can sign-up to receive email alerts of the latest news in nutrigenomics.

The centre's research focuses on genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics to identify genes that might affect health risks from a poor diet. Its goal is to devise genome-based nutritional interventions to prevent or treat diseases such as asthma, obesity, and diabetes.