Return on Returns: Building Scientific Capacity in AIDS Endemic Countries.

Area of Science:

• Global Health Research Capacity Building
• HIV/AIDS Research & Policy in Africa

Background:

• Public funding for health research is crucial for addressing global health challenges.
• The AIDS International Training and Research Program aimed to build scientific capacity in AIDS-endemic nations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the Fogarty International Center's program on scientific capacity and HIV research in Africa.
• To assess how training African researchers in the U.S. influences subsequent research output and policy engagement.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a difference-in-differences framework comparing scientists with and without returning trainees.
• Analyzed publication records, grant funding, clinical trial participation, and policy document contributions.
• Included control groups of scientists in adjacent neglected tropical disease research areas.

Main Results:

• Institutions with returning Fogarty trainees showed increased publications on HIV-related topics.
• Trainee-hosting institutions secured more grant funding and engaged in more clinical trials.
• The work of these scientists contributed to a greater number of policy documents.

Conclusions:

• The Fogarty program successfully enhanced scientific capacity for HIV/AIDS research in African institutions.
• Investments in international research training foster greater research activity, innovation, and policy impact.
• Strengthened scientific capacity leads to more active engagement with the AIDS epidemic in host countries.