Dear HIFA colleagues,
Are you planning a new health research initiative? Since 2022, HIFA Projects have been used very successfully to support large multi-million-dollar health research initiatives. We are now inviting expressions of interest for new HIFA Projects in 2025 and beyond. We currently have two successful ongoing projects - mHEALTH-INNOVATE and SYSTEMS-SUPPORT.
Here are testimonials from the Principal Investigators:
“HIFA has been a vital part of the mHealth-Innovate research project as it has given us a unique opportunity to discuss topics with healthcare workers, managers and policy makers from across the world. This has been a great supplement to our more formal research processes as these are often slow, shaped by the researcher and limited to specific settings. The HIFA network, on the other hand, is an open space where people from all levels of the system can discuss topics on their own terms. HIFA has helped us put our questions on the agenda and the HIFA discussions have been a key part of making sure that our research is relevant for people on the ground. This is not the first time we have collaborated with HIFA and hopefully not the last!” Claire Glenton, Principal Investigator, 2024
“Involving key users of knowledge in research projects is crucial for ensuring the research is responsive to their needs and has a meaningful impact. However, accessing different groups of users is often challenging. HIFA has been a dynamic platform for building relationships with individuals from diverse professional backgrounds and roles within health systems worldwide, enabling the collection of insights that would have otherwise been difficult to obtain. The HIFA discussion forum has been especially valuable, enabling the research project [SYSTEMS-SUPPORT] to explore concepts and assumptions, and to understand how the research questions resonate with on-the-ground realities through the insights of individuals with relevant experiences. I highly recommend partnering with HIFA for research collaborations and will definitely do so again for future research proposals.” Unni Gopinathan, Principal Investigator, 2024
HIFA Projects leverage the HIFA community to explore *your* priority global health issue/research question in depth. Each Project convenes a working group of HIFA experts and volunteers who plan and implement an extended exploration of the topic area among HIFA's 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting 24/7 in four languages. The exploration includes deep-dive thematic discussions, each lasting 4-6 weeks, with the option to complement these with dedicated webinars. Outputs include shared understanding and awareness, structured summaries, conference presentations, academic papers and advocacy for your priority issue.
HIFA Projects are affordable (starting at just £2k). The best time to explore this is while you are planning your research and developing your research proposal. You can then include a small budget line in your proposal.
HIFA Projects are a win-win for all. They not only add value to your research and help you advance your mission, they are also essential for HIFA as a whole. More than two-thirds of HIFA's income is currently thanks to Projects (the other third is donations from members and supporting organisations).
For more information see: www.hifa.org/projects
We welcome proposals for new HIFA Projects. Proposals relating to topics such as health systems research, global health, health policy, quality of care, health workforce, health education, health literacy, health communication, human rights and access to information, vaccine hesitancy... are especially relevant to HIFA, and we welcome suggestions on other topics, for example specific diseases. Please get in touch to discus options: neil@hifa.org
Please forward this message to your colleagues and contacts.
We look forward to working with you!
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
