SciDev.Net

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.

The Doyle Foundation has been established in honour of Dr John J Doyle, formerly Deputy Director General of the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (now part of the International Livestock Research Institute) in Nairobi, Kenya. Dr Doyle died in 1999 at the age of 55, after an outstanding career in international agricultural research and veterinary medicine.

The purpose of the foundation is to advocate and provide support for the role of science in international development, in keeping with Dr Doyle's wide interests and beliefs that science should be directed at solving clearly defined problems.

The Doyle Foundation was officially launched at the University of Glasgow Veterinary School on 30 June 2000.

The Doyle Foundation provides a forum for analysis and advocacy of the role of science in development with special regard to livestock health and the safe applications of modern biotechnology.

Emphasis is given to identifying the research needed to reduce the constraints on production of livestock, especially in Africa, and targeted broadly to livestock health and production and related fields. The Foundation achieves its aims through support for fellowships, sharing information and knowledge and related activities.

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.

This non-profit organisation aims to develop sustainable ecological farming in Africa and India. ICRISAT's mission is "to help empower 600 million poor people to overcome hunger, poverty and a degraded environment in the dry tropics through better agriculture".

ICRISAT's BioPower initiative aims to ensure that bioenergy research benefits the poor. Its activities include analysing bioenergy trends and understanding their repercussions for the poor, and enabling governments to formulate pro-bioenergy policies that benefit poor people.

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 INHEA, supported by the Ford Foundation and housed at the Boston College Center for International Higher Eduation, is a network of academics, practitioners and policymakers working in higher education (HE) in Africa.

It publishes news, commentaries and research on key HE issues. It also provides a list of experts and researchers in HE in Africa, and links to organisations active in scholarship and development work. The INHEA's country profiles describe HE practice across Africa and provide data on enrolment and funding.

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.

This site is maintained by the Kenya Meteorological Department and contains short term weather forecasts, seasonal forecasts, and agro-meteorological data.  Other climatological data is available from the website upon request.

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 non-profit organisation works with partners in Ghana and Uganda to improve the control and treatment of malaria. It offers services such as programme design and development, consultancy services, and technical support services to other non-governmental organisations. Information resources include annual reports, publications, and links to journals and organisations.