SciDev.Net

How Developing Countries Can Manage Intellectual Property Rights to Maximise Access to Knowledge

This book, published by the intergovernmental organisation South Centre, presents a collection of articles on intellectual property (IP) restrictions and access to knowledge for developing countries. An outcome of the South Centre Innovation and Access to Knowledge Programme, the book responds to...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: February 2009 | EN

Using climate to predict infectious disease epidemics

This report from the WHO assesses the potential for creating early warning systems for vector-borne disease. It reviews the current state of research for several diseases such as dengue fever, leishmaniasis, malaria and West Nile virus. The report includes an algorithmic framework for developing...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2005 | EN

El Niño Southern Oscillation and vegetation dynamics as predictors of dengue fever cases in Costa Rica

This journal article describes the first climate-based model used to predict outbreaks of dengue fever. Researchers from the University of Miami and the University of Costa Rica used climate data and vegetation indices from Costa Rica to predict disease outbreaks with 83 per cent accuracy. ...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: March 2009 | EN

Constructing knowledge societies: New challenges for tertiary education

This World Bank report describes the role higher education plays in building developing countries' capacity to participate in a knowledge-based world economy and outlines policy options to promote economic development. It confirms the shift in the World Bank's attitude to education support as a...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: January 2002 | EN

African higher education development and the international community

This paper from the Association of Commonwealth Universities outlines the commitments and activities made by major international partners -- specifically the G8 countries -- to developing African higher education between 2000 and 2004. Projects are analysed by topic -- from human resources...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: June 2005 | EN

A comparison of the cost of research in South Africa's public research and higher education institutions

This paper examines the relative costs of research in South Africa and the apparent disparity in researchers' salaries. A 2004-2005 research and development survey provides data on the unit cost of research across higher education institutions (HEIs), science councils and the business sector....

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: December 2008 | EN

Patent counts as indicators of the geography of innovation activities: Problems and perspectives

This paper challenges the idea that patent counts provide reliable indicators of innovation in cross-country assessments. The authors argue that national differences in patent systems -- how and why patents are granted and standards of examination -- make comparisons across countries difficult at...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: December 2008 | EN

Monitoring financial flows for health research 2008: Prioritizing research for health equity

This report, published by the Global Forum for Health Research, tracks global investments in health research and development (R&D). The authors review global targets and commitments for R&D in health and evaluate how well these are being met. They highlight the differences in funding by region,...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2008 | EN

Linking international agricultural research knowledge with action for sustainable poverty alleviation: What works?

This report, published by the Center for International Development at Harvard University and the International Livestock Research Institute in Kenya, asks which institutions and approaches are most effective in using scientific knowledge to inform development strategies. The authors evaluate...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: July 2008 | EN

Is Bayh-Dole good for developing countries? Lessons from the US experience

This article examines the US Bayh-Dole (BD) Act -- a 1980s measure that sought to stimulate science-based economic growth by encouraging universities to patent inventions resulting from government-funded research -- and assesses its suitability for developing countries. The authors look at how...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: October 2008 | EN

Therapeutic vaccination for chronic diseases: a new class of drugs in sight

Vaccination for infectious diseases is a vital method of prophylaxis, and has transformed modern medicine. By contrast, research into vaccines against chronic diseases has been less successful, in part because of the increased complexity involved. In this opinion piece, the authors outline the...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: January, 2004 | EN

Achieving the millennium development goals: does mental health play a role?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) practically define health efforts in the 21st century, but they virtually ignore non-communicable diseases such as mental health, say these authors. This is despite evidence that mental health disorders are among the most important cause of sickness and...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: September 2007 | EN

The challenge of cancer control in Africa

Worldwide, cancer kills more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB put together. In developing countries where chronic diseases are now growing alongside infectious diseases, new strategies need to be developed. This article outlines how to develop an effective cancer strategy in African...

KEY DOCUMENT | EN

Grand challenges in chronic non-communicable diseases

In 2003, the Gates foundation infused new vigour into global health efforts by declaring that the 21st century's "grand challenges" included developing new vaccines and overcoming drug resistance. This new grand challenges initiative, launched by a collaboration of top global chronic disease...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: November 2007 | EN

Obesity and diabetes in the developing world — a growing challenge

Global health experts have watched with increasing alarm as the waistlines of people in developing countries have started to widen with the adoption of a "Western" lifestyle. Obesity is of such concern because of its heightened risks for other diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. ...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: January 2007 | EN

Research capacity for mental health in low- and middle-income countries: Results of a mapping project

This joint publication between the World Health Organization and the Global Forum for Health Research reveals mental health research capacity in 114 low-income and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The extensive review identified over 10,000 articles,...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2007 | EN

The burden of non-communicable diseases in developing countries

The WHO has provided its own estimates of how non-communicable diseases are set to rise in developing countries. These authors pool data from national registries and international databases to compare data on the differing burden from individual diseases. They outline the risk factors associated...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: January 2005 | EN

Preventing chronic diseases: a vital investment

This extensive report was one of the first to document the scale of the problem of chronic diseases in developing countries, and crucially, to offer guidance on feasible and practical methods of tackling them. The document starts by laying out in detail the profiles of chronic diseases in...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: October 2005 | EN

North–South Research Cooperation

This document presents the proceedings of a conference at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in December 2001. The conference papers deal with themes relating to the role of scientific research in the development of Northern countries and the need for North-South research...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: 2002 | EN

Frameworks for Africa–UK Research Collaboration in the Social Sciences and Humanities — African University Perspectives

The report summarises the results of a survey of African UniversitiesS experiences in collaborating with scientists and institutions in developed countries. The study was carried out by the Association of Commonwealth Universities to provide background information to support the recent development...

KEY DOCUMENT | Publication date: August 2007 | EN