NIHR global health research group on preterm birth and stillbirth at the University of Liverpool (the DIPLOMATIC collaboration) at the University of Liverpool

a. Strategic objectives of the host university. This NIHR global health group is closely aligned with the strategic objectives of the host university, the University of Edinburgh (UoE), to benefit society as a whole, and to make a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution to the world, through partnerships, exchange and engagement [2]. The group will benefit from the Global Health Academy (GHA, Director Grant, coapplicant), the Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR, Director Campbell, co-applicant who has professional focus on child health in LMIC), and a community of staff, students, alumni and global partners who integrate global education, interdisciplinary research and health service development and delivery. UoE’s translational global health research is world class. For example, UoE-led research pioneered the use of a novel genetic test to identify and treat livestock infected with the parasite that causes sleeping sickness, resulting in a 90% fall in transmission to humans, and the prevention of many human deaths in subSaharan Africa. The quality of current translational global health research at UoE has led to the recent award of two NIHR Global Health Units: one in respiratory health (RESPIRE) and another in infectious disease (TIBA). Hence our preterm birth and stillbirth global health group will benefit from expertise and connections in RESPIRE, TIBA, GHA and CGHR and by building on their links with international agencies on guidelines, policy makers and public engagement we will accelerate the translation of research into clinical practice and education. We will make use of existing UoE global health experience to focus on the needs of DAC countries (specifically Malawi and Zambia) and build respectful reciprocal partnerships in a manner that protects and promotes human rights, in line with the recommendations of the Research Fairness Initiative[3] and others [4]. DIPLOMATIC will provide evidence on how to strengthen maternal health programmes for women– objectives identified as key in the 2016 DFID research review. We will identify trial interventions based on evidence in other countries, evaluate effectiveness (and implementation strategies) in Malawi and Zambia, address the shortage of skills in ultrasound scanning and build capacity and sustainability, according to good practice recommendations[5]. We believe the work from DIPLOMATIC will provide a measurable benefit to patients and the public, in currently underfunded and under researched areas. b. Underpinning facilities from host University. UoE conducts world class health research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, our medical research was ranked 5th in the UK. Edinburgh has the only MRC Centre for Reproductive Health (MRC-CRH) in the UK. Two research groups within the MRC-CRH, The Edinburgh Tommy’s Centre for Maternal and Fetal Health research[6] (funding of £4 million since 2008, 23 current members of staff, directed by principal applicant Norman) and the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory[7] (funding of £3.4 million since 2003, 8 current members of staff, directed by co-applicant Boardman) focus on issues key to this application, namely improving the health of pregnant women and newborn babies, respectively. UoE has an excellent track record in conducting large intervention trials in pregnancy, including preterm birth diagnosis and prevention trials STOPPIT[8] OPPTIMUM[9] and STOPPIT 2 (in progress NCT02235181) QUIDS (in progress ISRCTN41598423); stillbirth prevention trials AFFIRM (in progress NCTT01777022) and others EMPOWaR[10] GRACES[11] all led by applicants Norman or Stock and supported by a world class clinical trial unit, whose Director (Norrie) is co-applicant. Underpinning facitilities in learning and teaching in global health are provided by the GHA which has 16 global online MSc programmes tailored for low and middle income country contexts and learning requirements, an