The case for community health innovation networks

Abstract

This commentary1 outlines the rationale for building community health innovation networks in settings of poverty and high burdens of disease. These networks integrate deep research expertise and sustained implementation infrastructure, with the aim of streamlining the design, building and scale up of evidence-based technical innovations for community health. Drawing on our experiences establishing such networks in Mali and Kenya, we discuss the importance of: 1) sustaining operational capacity to strengthen health systems; 2) being strategic about how we embed design research within ongoing implementation efforts; and 3) institutional partnerships that invest in infrastructure to support a series of studies and innovation efforts over time. Without claiming to offer any ‘quick and easy’ solutions, we argue that this approach has real potential to address the gap between research and practice in technical innovation for global health and sustainable development.