Operational Challenges of implementing health research in humanitarian settings

Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) programme aims to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises. The programme is funded through a strategic partnership between the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Wellcome Trust, with Elrha responsible for design, execution and management of the programme. Since the programme was initiated in 2013 there have been five annual calls for research proposals.

In seeking to develop guidance for its grantees, R2HC recognises that there is a lack of practical guidance for humanitarian health researchers on the design, implementation, and management of public health research projects in challenging humanitarian contexts. Despite a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of health interventions in humanitarian crises in general, little is currently documented about the practical operational challenges of conducting such research in the field.

In recognition of this gap, the R2HC has commissioned a synthesis of lessons learnt regarding the key barriers and facilitators of conducting public health research in challenging humanitarian context, drawing off the experience of grantees funded in 2014 and 2015 whose research has finished or is close to completion. Now that the R2HC has been funding research for four years, a body of knowledge has accumulated reflecting individual research outputs, as well as a range of experience related to the conducting of research in humanitarian crises.

The report seeks to present, in a clear and accessible manner, information on preliminary lessons learned from conducting public health research in challenging humanitarian contexts, and including detailed case studies that can be used to key illustrate lessons learned.