Department of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK.
Department of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
BMJ Glob Health. 2022 Jun;7(6). doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-008763.
We explore how health research consortia may be better structured to support research capacity strengthening (RCS) outcomes. The primary research questions include: in what ways do consortium members perceive that they and their respective institutions' research capacity is strengthened from said membership? And, drawing on member experiences, what are the common factors that enable these perceived gains in research capacity to be realised?
A qualitative study set within the 'Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science' (DELTAS) Africa initiative. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 69 participants from seven institutions across six African countries belonging to three DELTAS Africa consortia. Data were analysed thematically via a general inductive approach.
A diverse array of perceived individual and institutional benefits of RCS consortium membership were reported. Individual benefits included access to training, resources and expertise as well as research and research leadership opportunities. Many institutional-level benefits of consortium membership were also driven through investment in individuals. Four enabling factors presented as especially influential in realising these benefits or realising them to a greater extent. These included: (1) access to funding; (2) inclusive and engaging leadership; (3) a diverse array of facilitated interactions for consortium members; and (4) an efficient interface between a consortium and their respective member institutions.
Many reported benefits of RCS consortium membership were realised through funding access, yet attention to the other three enabling factors may further amplify the advantages conferred by funding access or, when funds are insufficient, ensure worthwhile gains in RCS are still achieved.
本研究旨在探讨健康研究联盟如何更好地构建以支持研究能力增强（RCS）成果。主要研究问题包括：联盟成员认为他们及其各自机构的研究能力通过成员身份得到了哪些增强？并且，根据成员的经验，哪些共同因素使这些感知到的研究能力增强得以实现？
这是一项在“发展卓越领导力、培训和科学”（DELTAS）非洲倡议框架内进行的定性研究。对来自六个非洲国家的七家机构的 69 名参与者进行了半结构化访谈，这些机构属于三个 DELTAS 非洲联盟。通过一般归纳法对数据进行了主题分析。
报告了 RCS 联盟成员身份的各种个人和机构收益。个人收益包括获得培训、资源和专业知识以及研究和研究领导机会。联盟成员身份还通过对个人的投资带来了许多机构层面的收益。有四个促成因素被认为对实现这些收益或在更大程度上实现收益具有特别大的影响。这些因素包括：（1）获得资金；（2）包容性和参与性领导；（3）为联盟成员提供多样化的促进互动；（4）联盟与其各自成员机构之间的高效接口。
RCS 联盟成员身份的许多报告收益是通过获得资金实现的，但对其他三个促成因素的关注可能会进一步放大资金获取带来的优势，或者在资金不足的情况下，确保在 RCS 方面取得有价值的收益。
