Table 3 Description by example of the approaches used by the selected NCD-RCS initiatives

1

ANPPA

Commissioned Research: Build research capacity on multi-sectorial action for health in Africa and to set up a networked group of researchers in NCDs to monitor and assess the effectiveness and impact of multi-sectorial approaches in the long term in Africa.

2

ENCORE

Exchange & Mentoring: Exchanges and mentoring between Australia and India; online training sessions; a supported twice-yearly forum in India/Australia that is attended by the ENCORE Faculty and trainees.

3

TOBAC

Integrated research: RCS integrated in to research. A total of 29 individual TOBAC projects ranging from individual training approaches to multi-level and multi-factorial approaches aimed at systemic change by conducting research and training researchers.

4

AWI-Gen

Collaborative Centre: Build capacity in Africa for research that leads to an understanding of and response to the interplay between genetic, epigenetic and environmental risk factors for obesity and associated cardio-metabolic disease (CMD) in sub-Saharan Africa.

5

NCD-lifespan

Institutional Research Training: Collaborative research training between institutions in the U.S., LMICs and other HICs. The program aims to sustainably strengthen the research capacity of the LMIC institutions, and to train in-country experts through short-term, medium-term and long-term training as well as additional institutional capacity-building efforts.

6

GACD

Funding and networking: Fund, develop and facilitate innovative research collaborations between low- and middle-income and high-income countries in the fight against chronic diseases.

7

KSN-NCD

Knowledge sharing platform: NCD-info knowledge sharing portal. The Kenya NCD-info portal is designed to be a one-stop portal for all information related to NCDs in Kenya.

8

YP-CDN

Professionals’ network: Next-Gen Fellows complete a 1-year fellowship that seeks to build their leadership for improved NCD advocacy, research and policy influence at sub-national, national, regional and global levels.

9

INCAN

Institutional development: A multidisciplinary Cancer Control Research Training Institute was developed at the Instituto de Cancerología (INCAN) in Guatemala City. This institute provided a year-long training programme for clinicians that focused on research methods in population health and sociocultural anthropology.

10

AACR-AORTC

Research alliance: Africa Cancer research Alliance running workshops designed to facilitate improved expertise, resources and infrastructure that can lead to impactful investigator-initiated cancer research in Africa.

11

APCDR

Collaborative Research: APCDR is an international research partnership that assesses the burden and causes of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and heart disease in sub-Saharan Africa. It allows researchers from the partnership to develop a sustainable platform to share resources and skills.

12

Africa wide NCD Research Group

Multi-sectoral Research group: The research group will facilitate NCD research in a comprehensive, multi-sectoral and coordinated approach by tapping into a region-wide pool of multi-disciplinary teams.

13

Training and Capacity Building in LMIC for Research in Heart and Lung Disease

Centres of Excellence: A network of 11 collaborating COEs based in institutions from 10 LMIC who partnered with research institutions from high-income countries. Strategies included academic degree programs, non-degree credential programs, mentoring, conferences, workshops and other educational approaches. COEs to take over the RCS initiative.

14

CNCD-Africa

Research Consortium: CNCD-Africa aims to comprehensively address specific and common objectives while building capacity in the region to prevent and control NCDs. CNCD focuses on four key areas: convening; knowledge generation and sharing; advocacy; and networking.