Public/private-sector collaboration in contraceptive research and development: summary and historical perspective

This summary and historical perspective relates exclusively to contraceptive research and development during the period between the early 1970s and the present. This paper covers the raison d'être for public/private-sector collaboration in this field, provides definitions and summarizes the issues motivating and confronting both sectors, discusses and outlines a generic memorandum of understanding (MOU) that can be used to initiate collaborative research activities, and presents a time line of selected milestones in public/private-sector collaboration, many of which were initiated by the Rockefeller Foundation. Public and private-sector collaboration takes advantage of the unique strengths of both sectors and offers good opportunities for a 'win-win' situation in product development.