Recipient organisationEcorys UK LimitedSource-published name: Ecorys UK Limited
Funding£299K
PeriodSept 2025 — Jul 2026
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
The NIHR is conducting a mid-term check-up on its Global Health Research Centres—partnerships between UK universities and institutions in low- and middle-income countries—to see whether they are delivering on their promise to tackle non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. These centres were launched in 2022, but no one has yet systematically assessed how well they are working. Non-communicable diseases now cause the majority of deaths in poorer nations, yet most global health funding still targets infectious diseases. This evaluation fills that gap by asking what is succeeding, what is failing, and whether the money is being spent wisely. If the evaluation succeeds, it will produce a Value for Money framework and a clear map of how resources and leadership flow through these international networks. Funders and policymakers will know which partnership models actually build lasting research capacity in countries that need it most. The findings could reshape how future global health programmes are designed—not just for NCDs, but for any cross-border health challenge. The evaluation itself is not delivering new treatments, but it will tell funders whether their current approach is worth continuing, scaling, or abandoning.
View original technical description
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has initiated a mid-term evaluation of the NIHR Global Health Research Centres (GHR Centres), established in 2022 as collaborative consortia between UK and Official Development Assistance (ODA)-eligible Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) research institutions. This evaluation aims to assess the implementation and impact of the GHR Centres, focusing on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which represent a significant global health burden, particularly in LMICs. The evaluation will identify successes and challenges in the establishment and delivery of the GHR Centres, and assess progress against the programme-level Theory of Change (ToC) to maximise impact. The evaluation's aims and objectives include process evaluation to understand programme implementation, impact evaluation to assess outcomes and sustainability and economic evaluation to develop a Value for Money (VfM) framework. The methodology involves a robust, mixed-methods approach, guided by principles of utility, rigour, and inclusiveness. The evaluation will adopt a theory-based contribution analysis approach, using case-based analysis and process tracing to assess the plausibility of contributions to outcome. Social network analysis will be employed to evaluate leadership and resource flow within the network. The evaluation will be conducted in three phases over eleven months, from July 2025 to May 2026. The inception phase will establish the evaluation framework and stakeholder engagement plan. The interim phase will involve primary and secondary data collection, literature review, and initial VfM assessment. The final phase will include in-depth case studies, further data collection and final VfM assessment. Dissemination of findings will be facilitated through interactive workshops and summary reports. Inclusion is a core aspect of the evaluation, with efforts to engage diverse stakeholders, including community representatives, throughout the research cycle. The evaluation includes research components to ensure that the needs and priorities of marginalized groups are addressed, and that gender equality and intersectionality are integrated into the analysis. The research team comprises multidisciplinary experts with extensive experience in health research and evaluation.
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