WHO Research support 2020-2025 - TDR WASH-Vector connection WHO Forskningsstöd 2020-2025 The following three WHO-based research programmes have applied for continued support from Sida:
i) The UNICEF-UNDP-World Bank-WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR); 
ii) The UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, HRP; 
iii) Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR). 

The proposed support is a continuation of the previous agreement 2016-2019. The total amount is SEK 456,8 million for the period 2020 - 2025, of which SEK 199,8 million to TDR, SEK 149,5 million to HRP and SEK 107,5 million to AHPSR. The contribution support is essentially unearmarked

During the agreement period, TDR's activities will focus on research on barriers to effective implementation of existing control programs for infectious diseases disproportionally affecting people living in poverty. HRP's focus includes, amongst many areas related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), research on migrants' needs for SRHR, on adolescents’ need for SRHR, and women's enhanced opportunities for safe abortion. AHPSR will focus further on researching health systems and policies together with policy makers to help low- and lower middle-income countries use their resources for the health sector as efficiently as possible. De tre följande WHO-baserade forskningsprogrammen har ansökt om fortsatt stöd från Sida: 
i) The UNICEF-UNDP-World Bank-WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR);  
ii) The UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, (HRP); 
iii) Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR). 

Det föreslagna stödet är en fortsättning på tidigare avtal 2016-2019. Det totala beloppet är 456,8 miljoner SEK för perioden 2020 – 2025, varav 199,8 MSEK till TDR, 149,5 MSEK till HRP och 107,5 MSEK till AHPSR. Stödet är i huvudsak icke öronmärkt. 

TDR:s aktiviteter kommer under avtalsperioden att ha tyngdpunkten på forskning om hinder för effektivt genomförande av befintliga kontrollprogram för fattigdomsrelaterade infektionssjukdomar. HRP:s inriktning innefattar forskning om en bredd av frågor relaterade till sexuell och reproduktiv hälsa och rättigheter (SRHR), bland annat migranters behov av SRHR, ungdomars behov av SRHR och kvinnors stärkta möjligheter till säker abort. AHPSR kommer att fokusera ytterligare på att genom forskning om hälsosystem och policies tillsammans med beslutsfattare bidra till att fattiga länder kan nyttja sina resurser för hälsosektorn på ett så effektivt sätt som möjligt. Three WHO-based research programmes are proposed for continued support:
i) The UNICEF-UNDP-World Bank-WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, TDR; ii) The UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, HRP; and iii) Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, AHPSR, or "the Alliance".
Sida/Sweden is a long-standing supporter of TDR since its creation in 1974. TDR is one of the earliest examples of a Global Health Partnership and has repeatedly received good reviews by external evaluators because of its relevance to both health and development. TDR is the 2011 recipient of the Gates Award for Global Health. With its long history of support, Sida is well familiar with the achievements of the programme. TDR helps facilitate, support and influence efforts to combat diseases of poverty, with the mission to "support effective and innovative global health research, through strengthening the research capacity of disease-affected countries, and promoting the translation of evidence into interventions that reduce the burden of infectious diseases and build resilience in the most vulnerable populations". TDR main areas are i) Research for policy; ii) Research for implementation; iii) Research for innovation; and iv) Research for integrated approaches.       
Sida/Sweden is an as long-standing supporter of HRP, even since a couple of years before its creation in 1972. As such, Sida is equally familiar with the HRP's achievements. HRP is the main instrument within the United Nations system for research in human reproduction, bringing together policy-makers, scientists, health care providers, clinicians, consumers and community representatives to identify and address priorities for research to improve sexual and reproductive health. The mission of HRP is "the attainment of all people of the highest possible level of sexual and reproductive health. HRP strives for a world where all womens and mens rights to enjoy sexual and reproductive health are promoted and protected, and all women and men, including adolescents and those who are underserved and marginalized, have access to sexual and reproductive health information and services".  
AHPSR is a younger programme than TDR and HRP and recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Sweden was one of the drivers of the creation of AHPSR and has been actively involved since then, leading to good insights into their activities. AHPSR work to improve the health of those in low- and middle-income countries by supporting the generation and use of evidence that strengthens health systems. Together with organizations around the world, the AHPSR aims to i) provide a unique forum for the health policy and systems research community; ii) support institutional capacity for the conduct and uptake of health policy and systems research; iii) stimulate the generation of knowledge and innovations to nurture learning and resilience in health systems; and iv) increase the demand for and use of knowledge for strengthening health systems.
 
HRP and TDR are special programmes of WHO which gives them an independent status in relation to WHO. They are co-sponsored by a number of UN-agencies (UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank and WHO are co-sponsors of both TDR and HRP, and additionally, UNFPA is co-sponsor of HRP). As a WHO-hosted partnership, AHPSR is also guaranteed its independence. The difference between the two set-ups used to be the co-sponsorship of the special programmes, although today the definitions are being discussed at WHO. The future format of AHPSR is described later in this appraisal.
When the special programmes were created in the early 1970s WHO did not actively engage in research, but as a number of member states could see the importance of producing research of relevance (in this case tropical diseases and human reproduction), TDR and HRP were created. Over the years, the importance of producing evidence to feed into policies and guidelines was increasingly recognized and other UN agencies joined the effort as co-sponsors.
Similarly, the areas of health policy and systems research were neglected and in the late 1990s a group of global health leaders, including senior scientists, policy makers and representatives of various agencies and programs with a stake in health policy and systems research agreed on the need to create a body that would address these areas, and AHPSR was created as a hosted partnership at WHO.
Being based at WHO and having a close interaction with the co-sponsors provides the research programmes with a unique opportunity to accelerate translation of research results into policies and guidelines. Through country and regional offices and their close relation to a country's Ministry of Health, the possibility for implementation at this level is also improved. As WHO is now putting more emphasis into the country and regional offices, this is expected to play an even more important role in the coming years. The importance of research and evidence is even more clear now that WHO has assigned a first Chief Scientist and a Science Division, and one can foresee a closer interaction between the research programmes and WHO at all levels.
Over the years, as the world changes, the areas of research addressed as well as the ways to address the need of evidence and implementation have changed in the three programmes. The research programmes show an embedded ability to adapt their activities to changes in global health and to take leading roles in the global research agenda.
There are still pertinent questions to be addressed in the programmes respective areas. For example, there is presently a strong focus on implementation research and interaction with decision-makers, as well as strengthening research capacity in LMICs and ensuring that high quality research is done in countries. 
As the bulk of Sida's support to the programmes is given as undesignated funding, the results of the upcoming phase are expected to contribute to the attainment of the respective missions.