COVID-19: investing in country capacity to bridge science, policy and action

Using its convening power, early on WHO brought together leading experts to develop a global COVID-19 research roadmap to coordinate international research efforts.7 Examples include generation of new knowledge through the multicountry Solidarity Trial of candidate treatments for COVID-19,8 and cohosting the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator for the development of and access to vaccines and diagnostics.9 10 WHO has also played a key role in developing rapid evidence syntheses and up-to-date technical guidance on COVID-19 to respond to Member States’ needs. To mitigate inherent, uneven power relations, the evidence ecosystem (defined as ‘a system reflecting the formal and informal linkages and interactions between different actors [and their capacities and resources] involved in the production, translation and use of evidence’)15 in a post-COVID-19 world would also need to become more demand-driven and oriented towards the evidence that is needed in policy and action, not just immediately, but in the months and years ahead, which requires a shift in the existing ‘incentive’ system of researchers (publish or perish). [...]the actors of evidence ecosystems as a whole—evidence producers and users—are called on to create strong multisectoral and multidisciplinary collaborations and coordinate their efforts to reduce research waste, promote synergy and establish open, transparent and integrated systems.16 With EVIPNet and its partners, WHO is working towards building Member States’ capacity in equity-centred evidence-informed decision-making, including the strengthening of knowledge brokering organisations, developing standardised knowledge translation approaches and promoting stronger dialogue and collaboration between communities of the evidence ecosystem.