PLoS Medicine
(Accessed 28 April 2012)
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/browse.action?field=date

Where There Is No Health Research: What Can Be Done to Fill the Global Gaps in Health Research?
Martin McKee, David Stuckler, Sanjay Basu Essay, published 24 Apr 2012
doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001209

Summary Points
– Efforts to strengthen capacity in health research have, so far, concentrated on countries where there is existing capacity rather than those where it is almost completely lacking.

– Judged by absolute numbers of scientific papers, those with the fewest are mainly small islands and a few countries that are politically isolated.

– Judged by papers per capita, the lowest include countries in the former Soviet Union and Africa, both regions experiencing declines in life expectancy in recent years, and states experiencing conflict.

– Although there is a positive association between economic development and research output, some relatively wealthy countries seriously underperform.

– There are many examples of good practice, including regional networks and international partnerships.

– There is a strong argument for donors to look to the long term and consider how best to build health research capacity where it is virtually absent.