Guidance
Published on: March 24, 2025
Capacity strengthening is vital to ensure that countries—particularly those with limited resources—can conduct effective, high-quality clinical research. The ability to perform rigorous trials is often constrained by inadequate infrastructure, regulatory processes, and a lack of trained researchers. As noted by the Science for Africa Foundation, despite accounting for over 25% of the global disease burden, Africa hosts only about 4% of global clinical trials. To address these gaps, supporting locally-driven capacity-building initiatives is key. This involves collaborating with national health departments, research institutions, and local communities to create sustainable, long-term systems that enhance both healthcare and research capabilities.
Capacity-building efforts can be approached at three levels: individual, organizational, and national. These include fostering researcher skills, improving research infrastructure, and strengthening the national regulatory environment. It is essential to work with local stakeholders to identify needs and design solutions that will be effective long term. For example, external funders can support training opportunities for local researchers, enhance regional collaboration, and promote community engagement to raise awareness of clinical research. By taking a comprehensive, staged approach to capacity strengthening, we can build resilient research systems that ultimately lead to more inclusive healthcare innovation and a more equitable global research landscape.
Related Resources
- Global Representation webpage
- Embedding Ethical Considerations Relating to Global Representation
- Global Representation Roadmap: Prompts for Developing a global diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI) strategy
- Model Diversity Action Plan (DAP)
- “Trials Beyond Borders” podcast
- First, do no harm: a global perspective on diversity and inclusion in clinical trials