REDe, the research capacity network, is an online digital platform hosted and coordinated by The Global Health Network at the University of Oxford that runs across the three EU funded Zika consortia (ZIKAction, ZIKAlliance and ZikaPLAN). The aim of REDe is to develop a network of research sites and build strong partnerships between all the research sites running Zika studies in Latin America and the Caribbean so that they can work together and develop a sustainable platform for research that can respond effectively to future outbreaks.
This regionally led network needs to be equipped with the knowledge, methods, skills and capabilities to support a high quality, rapid and coherent research response to the Zika outbreak in the short term. In addition, this network sets out to establish lasting capacity to conduct research in the event of other vector-borne and emerging infectious disease outbreaks in Latin America in the long-term. To do so, REDe must first ascertain through a Knowledge Gap Analysis, the key gaps in clinical/health and laboratory research capacity in Central and South America, and then determine how best to fill these gaps through training and other capacity building activities.
Planned activities
The planned activities for the Knowledge Gap Analysis study includes five key components:
| Study component | Activity | Proposed activity end date |
|
1. Formative research |
Formative data collection during regional capacity building activities including focus group discussions and questionnaires. |
Ongoing until project closes |
|
2. Scoping exercise and review |
Comprehensive review of all available training materials related to the prevention, detection and treatment of Zika and other arboviruses. |
October 2018/ongoing until project closes |
|
3. Consensus building exercise |
Consortia wide exercise to agree on a core curriculum for observational, laboratory and clinical trials. |
March - April 2018 |
|
4. Open discussion forum
|
Discussion forum created on the REDe network | April - May 2018 |
|
5. Delphi method study |
Three-stage Delphi study to explore expert opinion and gain consensus on knowledge and skills gaps in clinical and laboratory research capacity. |
September 2018 - March 2019 |
| Dates given are estimates and may be subject to slight change | ||
| Note – the overall project ends in October 2019 | ||
Planned timeline and methods
This study has been reviewed and approved by the Oxford Tropical Research Ethics Committee, OxTREC. The reference number for this study is 543 - 17.
The research will be conducted into 2 phases, as follows:
- Phase 1: Formative research activities, scoping exercise and review, open discussion forum and consensus building exercise
- Phase 2: Delphi method study
- Results from Phase 1 will inform Phase 2
We will be contacting Work Package Leads across the consortia from February – March 2018 informing them of the initiative.
Further information
If you have any questions about the planned activities, please contact REDe at: rede@theglobalhealthnework.org