and whether the research is conducted by an NGO or an academic institution. 3.4 Utilization and management of knowledge While asserting that the production of knowledge is the primary function of research, and that levels of knowledge have increased considerably, a discussion paper for the International Conference on Health Research [ 1 ] also recognizes that the ability to draw from research in terms of lessons learned, application to interventions, and programming and policies which support the overarching goal of equity, is often lacking. Inadequacies include the inability of developing countries to access pertinent international research literature and knowledge bases (either as contributors or users), the inability to access new information technologies, and the inability to ensure closer links among the research community, health service managers and health policy makers. The effective use of research findings and their dissemination is an increasingly important public health policy concern. In 1995, an international research conference was held in Vancouver, Canada, on dissemination research. This type of research is similar to what is now called 'translational research' http://www.niehs.nih.gov/translat/home.h\\... webcite , that is, the conversion of research findings from basic, clinical or epidemiological environmental health science research into information, resources, or tools that can be applied by health care providers and community residents to improve public health outcomes in at-risk neighborhoods. NGOs are frequently at the interface of applied research and policy-making, at least at the administrative level, and their potential input into research utilization for policy-making needs to be valued. Research can make