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GLOBVAC-Global helse- og vaksin.forskn

Norwegian Forum for Global Health Research

Alternative title: Norsk Forum for global helseforskning

Awarded: NOK 1.5 mill.

Aim for Norwegian Forum for Global Health Research: Global health often deals with challenges related to disasters of disease, of nature, and of war. The problems are often further aggravated by poverty, inequity and lack of resources. Healthcare professionals are needed, but so are health economists, engineers, political scientists, agriculturists and many others. Together, in an interdisciplinary co-operation, we can make a difference in the world. Activities: The Norwegian Forum for Global Health Research (Forum) was established in 2006. The purpose of the Forum is to promote research and education of high quality with the aim of improving health and health services for marginalized population groups in low and middle-income countries. The Forum has played an important role as an interdisciplinary network within the field of global health and health research, and provides a forum for exchanging ideas and views on research and methodology. Forum is also an arena for collaboration on issues related to academic training and curriculum development. The Forum celebrated its 10th anniversary at a seminar on migration, arranged at the University of Oslo in 2017. In the project period 2016-2018, Forum participated in the arrangement of a Global Health conference in Bergen 2016 (120 participants) in cooperation with Centre for International Health at University of Bergen. In addition, Forum helped at the arrangement of a GLOBVAC Conference in Trondheim 2017 (250 participants), arranged by the Research Council of Norway - in cooperation with NTNU. In 2018, a Forum Conference was held in Oslo (130 participants) in cooperation with the National Research School of Global Health, Center for global health, University of Oslo, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Global Health Norway. Focus areas for the Forum in the project period were migration and innovation, and these topics have been central in the mentioned arrangements. Forum has also been engaged in work with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations, with a work group on this topic. Forum has also participated in smaller conferences and meetings in the area of Global Health. Funding in Global Health has been reduced substantially the past years, and Forum finds the situation alarming. This has been a topic for the Forum board the past years. Forum has contributed to the public discussion on this topic, by contributions to newspapers as well as letters to policy makers. The Forum has been influential in shaping the agenda for Global Health related research questions within the Norwegian academic world. Forum has in addition been a part of a larger international network; The Federation of European Societies for Tropical Medicine and International Health (FESTMIH). A Research School of Global Health (RSGH) was established in 2016, highly supported by Forum. Forum has a close co-operation with this unit. The Director of Forum is represented in the board of RSGH, and is able to co-ordinate activities and be supportive for the processes related to PhD candidates in Global Health. Organization: The Forum Board is responsible for all activities of the Forum. The Forum has nine board representatives from institutions in different parts of Norway. The Board and its observer members meet physically twice a year, and we have had board meetings in different cities in the project period; Tromsø, Trondheim, Oslo and Bergen. In addition, the Board has telephone conference meetings monthly. Forum has had a Secretariat located at Centre for International Health, University of Bergen.. The secretariat has administered meetings, conferences, seminars and a Forum website. Forum supported strongly the establishment of Global Health Norway in 2017. GHN has established a board with representatives from the nine member institutions; the universities, the regional health authorities and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. GHN is an important network in Global Health, and will be important for Forum in the future. Forum will be active in supporting the development of GHN. Membership and planning: Forum has so far had mainly institutional members, including universities, university colleges, other research units and government bodies in the field of Global Health in Norway. At the Forum General Assembly in 2018, Forum was changed to an organization for individual membership. Forum and GHN have overlapping goals for their activity. However, Forum focuses on research policy issues within global health to a higher degree than GHN, and wishes to remain as an independent

The main objective for The Norwegian Forum for Global Health Research (Forum),is to promote research and education of high quality with the aim of improving health and health services for marginalized population groups in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The main outcome of the project is that Forum has developed an important role as an interdisciplinary network within the field of global health and health research, and provide a forum for exchanging ideas and views on research and methodology in Norway. Detailed outcomes and impact: -Supported research on global health, focused upon research in LMICs by arranging of three large conferences in global health in Norway 2016-2018, with 120, 250 and 130 participants, respectively. -A Research School of Global Health (RSGH) in Norway was established in 2016 by a Forum Application. -Forum supported strongly the establishment of the network Global Health Norway (GHN) in 2017 and is in Close Cooperation with both RSGH and GHN.

The Norwegian Forum for Global Health Research (Forum) was established in 2006 after an initiative by the professors Gunnar A. Bjune and Gunnar Kvåle at a conference on Global Health arranged by the Research Council of Norway in Bergen 2005. The Forum has played an important role as an interdisciplinary network within the field of global health and health research, including universities, university colleges and other research units and government bodies in the field of Global Health in Norway. The Forum has been influential in shaping the agenda for Global Health related research questions within the Norwegian academic world, and is in addition part of a larger international network. In 2016-2018 the Forum will support one GLOBVAC Conference 2017 and arrange one Forum Conferences 2018 (probably in Oslo) - in co-operation with the National Research School of Global Health. Forum will have board meetings in all the four university cities; work for development and establishment of a Norwegian Institute for Global Health. Forum will work to establish a virtual institute for the four main universities in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø, but also for other institutions in this scientific area. Development projects within two focus areas will be performed; migration and innovation. Forum will also play a role by participation in The Federation of European Societies for Tropical Medicine and International Health. The board members will meet twice a year and have monthly telephone meetings for keeping up the network and to administer the Forum activities. A secretariat will organize the activities and run the Forum web-site http://www.globalhealth.no/ which is vital for information and communication both for national users and for partner institutions worldwide.

Funding scheme:

GLOBVAC-Global helse- og vaksin.forskn