Gooding, K, Newell, JN and Emmel, N orcid.org/0000-0002-2154-5814 (2018) Capacity to conduct health research among NGOs in Malawi: Diverse strengths, needs and opportunities for development. PLOS ONE, 13 (7). e0198721. ISSN 1932-6203
Abstract
Background: The role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in health research has attracted growing attention. NGOs are important service providers and advocates in international health, and conducting research can help NGOs to strengthen these service delivery and advocacy activities. However, capacity to conduct research varies among NGOs. There is currently limited evidence on NGOs’ research capacity that can explain why capacity varies or indicate potential areas for support. We examined NGOs’ capacity to conduct research, identifying factors that affect their access to the funds, time and skills needed to undertake research.
Methods: We examined research capacity through qualitative case studies of three NGOs in Malawi, including one national and two international NGOs. Data were generated through interviews and focus groups with NGO staff, observation of NGO activities, and document reviews.
Results: Availability of funding, skills and time to conduct research varies considerably between the case NGOs. Access to these resources is affected by internal processes such as sources of funding and prioritisation of research, and by the wider environment and external relationships, including the nature of donor support. Constraints include limited ability to apply for research funding, a perception that donors will not support research costs, lack of funding to hire or train research staff, and prioritisation of service delivery over research in funding proposals and staff schedules.
Conclusion: The findings suggest strategies for NGOs and for donors interested in supporting NGOs’ research capacity. Above all, the findings reinforce the importance of initial capacity assessments to identify organisational needs and opportunities. In addition, the need for time and funding as well as skills suggests that strengthening NGOs’ research capacity will often require more than research training.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2018 Gooding et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Sociology and Social Policy (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Jun 2018 10:06 |
Last Modified: | 25 Jun 2023 21:22 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science |
Identification Number: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0198721 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:131709 |