We’re pleased to announce 13 new grants that we intend to fund from now for an 18-month period.

Last year we launched two parallel calls for proposals as part of the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) programme, each with a specific focus:

(1) to strengthen humanitarian health systems, focusing on systems-level measures to improve health systems functioning in complex humanitarian settings; and

(2) in response to current or anticipated humanitarian health crises to generate rapid evidence to inform real-time crisis response.

Of the 13 studies selected for funding, nine are in the strengthening health systems stream and four are in the current and anticipated humanitarian health crises stream. Within this, they represent a wide variety of thematic health focus areas ranging from nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, non-communicable disease, communicable disease, maternal and child health, health services delivery and coordination, to injury and physical rehabilitation. Many specifically focus on the needs of women and children. The proposed studies are in some of the most severe crisis settings across Sub-Saharan Africa as well as in Myanmar, Lebanon and Colombia.

In line with our organisation’s commitment to shifting the power and the aspirations of the funding call, there is significant leadership from organisations based in the countries where the studies are taking place. Each study draws on the expertise of multiple partners representing humanitarian practitioners, academia and other key stakeholders. These themes are explored further in the following blogs: Shifting the power in humanitarian research and Shifting the power: increasing Global South leadership within grants we fund.

Introducing our new studies

Two studies seek to address and provide evidence to improve programming in response to food insecurity, one investigating the effectiveness of cash programming in Somalia and another evaluating how to identify acutely malnourished children at risk of clinical deterioration in Chad.

A further two studies aim to address disease outbreaks, one using modelling to predict measles outbreaks in Niger and another which builds on existing R2HC-funded work to reduce onchocerciasis and related epilepsy in South Sudan.

Amongst the studies which aim to produce evidence to strengthen health systems, three are focused on the integration of refugees into the health system. In Colombia, one study seeks to investigate the impact of a residency scheme on health outcomes for Venezuelan migrants. Another in Lebanon seeks to investigate the impact of a combined psychosocial support and sexual and reproductive health package for Syrian adolescents and young women. In Uganda, research will generate evidence to improve discharges of children from hospital into community care.

Another six studies are seeking to strengthen the health system for the whole population, often in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Three focus on sexual and reproductive health services. In the Central African Republic, a study aims to pilot a community-based mobile phone health app to improve follow-up and care for at-risk pregnant women. Two studies seek to support the rebuilding of the health system in Amhara, Ethiopia following the recent conflict. One of these is seeking to integrate care for sexual and gender-based violence survivors in newly restored health facilities. The other aims to improve access to comprehensive abortion care services through midwifery-led care.

A further three studies focus on neglected aspects of the health system. In Mali, research is focused on strengthening the pharmaceutical system by examining its functionality and performance. In Myanmar, a community-led strategy to reduce cardiovascular disease risk among conflict-affected populations will be implemented and studied. In Somaliland, research will investigate if a model for tele-learning and knowledge exchange can improve paediatric surgery.

Want to learn more about the new studies?

You can find these projects, and all other R2HC-funded research, on our website. Search by areas of work, country or region to find studies of greatest interest to you. Follow the updates from our partners via these profiles which are updated regularly with the latest findings and study outputs.