WS 09 - Germany's Role in Interdisciplinary and Cross-Sector Global Health Research

This session will grapple with what interdisciplinary and cross-sector research looks like in practice, and how these collaboration-based approaches align with the broader Global Health Strategy of Germany and the WHO. By supporting initiatives such as the German Alliance for Global Health Research, Germany is signaling a desire to emphasize collaboration in global health research. Likewise TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, represents global support for scientific collaboration in combatting diseases of poverty. We will explore how such aerial-view initiatives pose nuanced potential, while also critically reflecting on what measures could increase their effectiveness. Research on neglected and poverty-related diseases offer a poignant focal point for this discussion, as this is a clear example of where societal and structural factors play as much of a role as the bacterial or virological infectants themselves. To effectively study these diseases, we need input from biomedical as well as social and other sciences. And to implement research findings, we need engagement from civil society and policy makers. By bringing in perspectives from across this expert-spectrum, we hope to enable honest reflections on the strengths and challenges of cooperative research on neglected and poverty-related diseases.