External funding to strengthen capacity for research in low-income and middle-income countries: exigence, excellence and equity

Strengthening capacity for research is of vital relevance to global health since research is fundamental to the improvement of health everywhere, but the capacity to do research varies enormously between countries. External donors broadly agree on the exigence to support national efforts to strengthen the capacity for health research in low-income and middleincome countries. Current levels of external funding may support the concentration of activities in pursuit of excellence in some countries without achieving the aims of equity to ensure all countries can benefit from producing research. Key elements for debate as external donors and partner countries pursue the benefits of excellence and equity include: (1) the need for evidence-based decision making, (2) the promotion of standardised collection and open reporting of data, (3) the level of funding which can avoid competition between excellence and equity, (4) revisiting what 'excellence' means, and (5) the implications of a shift to local leadership and knowledge in driving development practice.