The UK Department of Health and Social Care’s aid-funded global health research and innovation

A review assessing the use of Official Development Assistance to fund research on global health.

Score: Green/Amber
  1. Status: Completed
  2. Published: 16 July 2024
  3. Type: Full review
  4. Subject: Cross-government aid spend, Global health
  5. Assessment: Green/Amber
  6. Case study: Brazil, India, Malawi
  7. Lead commissioner: Tamsyn Barton
  8. SDGs covered:Good health and wellbeing, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Read the approach paper

Our approach

This review will scrutinise aid spending by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on global health research and innovation programmes, focusing on the period from 2018 onwards.

It will examine DHSC strategies, policies and guidance related to research, funding and oversight, conduct interviews and reviews of sampled programmes, provide country case studies of Brazil, India and Malawi and conduct citizen engagement with people likely to be affected by UK aid-funded global health research.

Review questions

  1. Relevance: How relevant is DHSC’s ODA-funded global health research portfolio to the UK’s strategic objectives on global health?
  2. Effectiveness: How effectively does DHSC’s ODA-funded research contribute to improving global health outcomes?
  3. Learning: Has the design of DHSC’s research portfolio been informed by its own monitoring, evaluation and learning, and by lessons from other ODA-funded health research?

Timeline

Approach publication

26 February 2024

Evidence gathering

Complete

Review publication

16 July 2024

Government response

10 September 2024

Further scrutiny

To be confimed