History: In 1990 the Commission on Health Research for Development (COHRED) concluded that the majority of health research and development resources are being used on issues that are relevant to only a minority of the world's population. The population that is excluded from the benefits of health research is predominantly in the developing world, largely poor and often marginalized from power and decision making. For the past decade, this imbalance has been captured is the expression the "10/90 Gap” which indicates that less than 10% of the estimated USD 70 billion spent annually on health research by private and public sectors together is devoted to 90% of the world 's health problems. These imbalances also prevail in child Health and nutrition sector. Today a large discrepancy exists between resources committed for health research and the diseases and conditions that account for the highest disease burden in children. For example in Angola and Niger, 25 babies in every 100 born die before they can grow up to be five whereas less than 1 baby dies in Europe in same scenario.
Since 2001 OCHRC is promoting and funding priority context-specific and resource-sensitive researches to address the ever growing burden of childhood diseases in developing countries. Since conception OCHRC has funded nine research projects under the four requests for proposals (RFPs).
Through an open process of advertisement and competitive selection, individuals or institutions from low and middle income countries are selected to carry out OCHRC’s research interests. OCHRC provides administrative oversight to the projects, assuring that the researches are systematically evaluated, and that partners and broader global audiences are kept informed through dissemination of information.
Request for Proposal (RFP) - 1: “Child Health Nutrition Research: Regional Assessment of Research Priorities and Research Institutions”
