International collaboration in health research.

Abstract

There has been much interest in interna-tional collaboration in health research, especially when projects involve scien-tists from developed and developing countries. It is most valuable to replace suppositions, assumptions and anecdotal accounts that often feature in these dis-cussions with well-researched objective data such as that presented by Swingler et al. in this issue (pp. 511–517).The most successful examples of international research collaboration confer clear benefits to both contract-ing parties, and eventually to scientific progress in general. In an ideal case, the partnership produces a smooth dovetail-ing of skills and expertise. The partner from the developed country contributes expertise as well as sophisticated laborato-ry and other special resources that are not available in the less developed institution. Their peers in the developing country provide local clinical and other contextual knowledge. Contributions in kind from the host institution in the developing country complement the financial dona-tion from the developed country partner.While recognizing the potential value of such collaborative projects, there is justifiable concern about at-tendant risks and dangers. Because of the unequal power, there is the danger that the more powerful partners from the developed country could exploit the vulnerability of the developing country scientists and institutions: perhaps by focusing research on priority interests of the sponsoring foreign institutions rather than on the urgent needs of the host country. The study by Swingler et al. indicates that a high proportion of collaborative projects researched im-portant health problems in the region and that foreign sponsorship did not significantly divert scientists in African countries from their priority health problems, though the paper raises some concerns. The small number of projects