Amsterdam, 14 September 2011. The symposium co-organized by the MMI Network members Cordaid and Wemos together with various partners brought together health and action-oriented NGOs and academic institutions around international/global health research.
NGOs are increasingly engaging in research, whereas academic institutions are developing partnerships with NGOs around health research in low- and middle-income countries. Though such alliances do seem mutually beneficial, their actual realisation is often less straightforward. Some see a gap between the ‘elitist academics’ (the thinkers) and the ‘down-to-earth implementing NGOs’ (the do-ers). The symposium will provide a platform for addressing:
- the rationale behind NGO involvement in global health research; and the reasons for academia’s engagement with development actors for a joint approach to global health research. Strengths and weaknesses of both groups will be explored.
- those conditions which are favourable to developing strategic alliances and synergic actions between the ‘do-ers’ and the ‘thinkers’ and common obstacles in this process.