
Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
Displaying 1-20 of 39 links
Less than one-tenth of all population-based research into dementia has been directed towards the two-thirds or more of all people with dementia who live in developing parts of the world — thus, the name "10/66".
Part of the Alzheimer's Disease International Network, 10/66 is a group of researchers who encourage active collaboration between research groups in different developing countries and between developed and developing countries. The research projects have included pilot studies to establish a method for diagnosing dementia in populations with very little formal education; qualitative studies to understand the experience of people with dementia and their carers; intervention studies that investigate whether local community health workers can contribute to care by identifying people who need help; and population-based studies to quantify prevalence and incidence in developing countries.
The 10/66 Group is part of Alzheimer's Disease International and is coordinated through Prof. Martin Prince from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London.
FOUR50 is building a network of experts, activists and enthusiasts committed to preventing the epidemic of chronic disease and raising awareness about its devastating consequences. It aims to do this by focusing on the 3 risk factors (poor diet, lack of physical activity, tobacco use) that lead to four chronic diseases (CVD, diabetes, chronic lung diseases and some cancers) contributing to more than 50% of deaths worldwide.
The Agricultural Research Journal, published by Argentina's National Institute for Agricultural Technology, is an open access science journal that publishes new research in diverse fields of agricultural research. The website provides information about the editorial process, including guidelines for submitting scientific papers, and publishes relevant news articles. It is available in Spanish and Portuguese.
A project of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, AlertNet is a news aggregator that aims to raise awareness of humanitarian crises around the globe, particularly 'forgotten' emergencies that rarely make headlines. It publishes news from over 400 aid agencies and other media outlets across a range of topics, from natural disasters to climate change to health. AlertNet also provides tools for journalists, including facts and figures, crisis briefings and training modules.
This is a virtual library of Latin American social science papers maintained by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO). It provides open and free access to more than 4,000 full-text books, periodical articles and other documents, in Spanish.
This is a portal to the websites of associations that aim to advance our understanding of oncology and how to better treat patients with cancer, both in the developed and developing worlds.
Each partner association is represented in the portal with a website describing and providing information relating to the organisation, its structure, news, research projects, activities, membership, resource information, selected links, and so on.
Cancerworld also hosts the Cancer Media Service, operated by the European School of Oncology and aimed at journalists. The independent service aims to put cancer research into context, which it does by publishing well written and easy-to-read summaries of the latest cancer research. Perhaps even more useful is its list of resources for journalists that includes links to several medical dictionaries and cancer organisations worldwide.
CHIEX investigates how climate variability affects human health in the tropical Americas. It runs projects in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and Venezuela, and focuses specifically on the spread of dengue fever and malaria in these countries. These projects have practical implications; for example, a study in Cuba led to the development of a "bioclimatological" monitoring system that uses climatic predictions to prevent and control disease.
An international NGO, TWNSO was founded at the initiative of the Third World Academy of Sciences by ministers of science and technology and higher education and heads of science academies and research councils in developing countries to promote science-based sustainable economic development.
This not-for-profit organisation works with the private and public sectors to develop and implement quality yet affordable diagnostic technologies for diseases prevalent in developing countries, including tuberculosis, malaria and sleeping sickness. It also aims to strengthen laboratories and scale up projects to improve new tool uptake in endemic regions. The website provides information about the organisation's programmes and partners, news and a resource centre with free access to documents such as reports and scientific articles.
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.
IBSA, a joint project of the departments of science and technology in Brazil, India and South Africa, promotes research collaborations between scientists working on applications of nanotechnology. Its priority fields of research include health, water treatment and agriculture. India leads its flagship project on water purification.
IBSA publishes information on participating scientists from all three countries, ongoing projects, key global events and activities, and fellowships and job openings.
IASO is an umbrella organisation for 52 national obesity associations across 56 countries. Its mission statement is to "improve global health by promoting the understanding of obesity and weight-related diseases through scientific research and dialogue, whilst encouraging the development of effective policies for their prevention and management."
The organisation is strongly advocacy-based and publishes frequent statements aimed at policymakers on how to tackle obesity. The website also contains detailed data on the global prevalence of obesity. Since obese people are often at high risk for other diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, the website also outlines these risks, offering links to other relevant associations.
The IISD is a Canadian policy research institute that publishes books, papers and policy briefs on issues affecting sustainable development such as climate change, governance and natural resources. The IISD Reporting Services focuses on environmental issues and publishes news and event coverage as well as the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (see ENB). The organisation also runs the Climate-L.Org blog and hosts a number of networks, including the Trade Knowledge Network and the Sustainable Coffee Partnership.
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.
The centre is a WHO collaborating centre for research and training in the control of cardiovascular disease, and also prevention and rehabilitation for patients in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The centre strongly advocates evidence-based health policies as the only way to promote health. Its focus on prevention led to the Isfahan Health Heart Programme, a community programme to promote healthier lifestyles to prevent non-communicable diseases.
Knowledge for Development is a web-based source of information on science and technology for agriculture and rural development in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. It promotes collaboration between agricultural research and development scientists and technologists in ACP countries, and facilitates dialogue between ACP and European communities with the aim of strengthening policy formulation on science and technology issues.
This website contains a number of useful documents on biofuels and biotechnology in ACP countries.
This website, available in English, Portuguese and Spanish, provides a forum where people interested in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in Latin America can exchange ideas, share experiences and access key information.
Members can submit articles and stories about their own experiences, and access official UN documents on REDD. The website also publishes news and information about upcoming REDD events.