SciDev.Net

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.

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.

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.

The PHEA — a joint project between seven private US foundations — supports higher education development in Africa. It works in four specific areas: developing and retaining new academics; information and communication technologies for higher education; regional institutional capacity building; and higher education research and analysis.

Within each of these, the PHEA publishes news and information on its projects, highlighting case studies and achievements to date. The PHEA also hosts a database of past and current grants, which, between 2000 and 2008, represent investments of over US$350 million.

The foundation's aim is to raise awareness of diabetes worldwide, with a special emphasis on developing countries. A key activity is funding projects (142 so far) that raise awareness, improve education and build capacity at local, regional and global levels. The website contains details of all ongoing projects, including details of the project budgets and individuals responsible for running them, the expected impacts and results so far. Importantly, the foundation prioritises monitoring and evaluation of its projects to learn key lessons for the future and minimise the risk of project failure.

As with any disease, and particularly those in developing countries, the health economics are important. The website has a useful tool for calculating the economic cost of diabetes in a particular country that allows the user to change variables such as population, prevalence and so on.