Current investments in Research & Development (R&D) and innovation for meeting health needs in developing countries are not sufficient. The existing model of R&D and innovation is not adequate when it comes to discovering and developing medicines and other health technologies which in particular address the needs of markets with low purchasing power. These issues have been analyzed and discussed in several processes at the World Health Organization. However, the issue of how to find a sustainable solution for issues related to financing and coordination of R&D needed more work. The Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination (CEWG) will present its final report to the WHO in April 2012, and the World Health Assembly will in its 65th session in May 2012 discuss and decide on how the recommendations of this group should be taken forward.
The Graduate Institute, Geneva in collaboration with the Harvard Global Health Institute, USA and the University of Oslo, Norway is hosting a seminar to facilitate a multi-stakeholder discussion based on the recommendations of the CEWG report to assess different approaches to addressing R&D and Innovation challenges, in particular the recommendation to create an overarching global framework, such as an R&D Convention, for improving finance, governance and coordination.
To find out more information, and for registration, click here.