As many technologies and much knowledge are proprietary in nature and form the subject matter of patents owned by foreign entities, a key national policy instrument is the intellectual property rights regime. How it reflects and balances relevant international commitments with the goal of advancing the economic and social rights of its citizens is crucial in promoting their best interests. This is a Call for Proposals on how developing countries can access technologies and information contained in existing patents to enhance innovative research at the national level. This call for proposals is limited to developing country institutions. Six grants of approximately $75,000 Canadian will be made after the close of the competition on November 30, 2007.
Jobs and Announcements
The Global Health Watch (GHW) are still looking for reviewers for a number of chapters and would like suggestions. As with the first edition of GHW, they want to make sure that the Watch reflects issues from regions around the globe. Each chapter is written collaboratively, and the review process is intended as a further opportunity to ensure that each regions issues are reflected in this next edition of the Watch. Suggestions are needed as soon as possible.
The Oxford Internet Institute ( University of Oxford ) invites applications from the global South to fill two places in its Civil Society Practitioners Programme. This visitor programme is intended for Civil Society Practitioners of distinction or outstanding promise who wish to visit the Institute for a period of six weeks between February and December 2008, to undertake research concerning the social impact of the Internet and related ICTs. Visitors are expected to reside in Oxford during their stay, and to participate fully in the intellectual life of the Institute. Applications will ideally be submitted by Civil Society Practitioners in or from the global South, active in the areas of freedom of expression, media reform, media justice, and communications and information policy in the globalized context of the Internet. The application deadline 26 September 2007 Final notification of an award will occur in November 2007.
The Health Systems Trust will be holding a conference with key stakeholders on 10 and 11 October 2007 in Johannesburg, Gauteng, to celebrate 15 years of work in strengthening health systems in southern Africa. A panel of external experts will be invited to formally review recent HST programmes of work during this conference. Participation in the conference is by invitation.
Africa Midwives Research Network invites abstracts for presentation at the 6th Biennial Scientific Conference to be held at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi , Kenya from 5 th to 9th November 2007. The main theme is "Strengthening research capacity among nurses and midwives: Challenges in utilizing evidence based cost effective interventions in promoting maternal and child health". Sub-themes include 'Health workforce intelligence for maternal and child health policy formulation and program implementation', 'Resource mobilization and equitable allocation for quality maternal and child health care', 'Social determinants of maternal and child survival' and lastly 'Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS in reproductive and child health'. The deadline for submission of abstracts will be 1st August 2007.
The Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS) is pleased to announce its course, "Supervising HIV and AIDS Services" to be held from 20 to 31 August 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. The purpose of this course is to assist the HIV & AIDS supervisor in using a performance and quality improvement approach to guide, assist, train, and encourage staff to improve their performance and provide high quality health services. It is organised around a step-by-step process, useful for all supervisors, particularly the new supervisor. The process can be used to solve specific performance-related gaps in delivery of HIV & AIDS prevention, treatment care and support services and thereby improve health services. It can also be used to plan and initiate new HIV & AIDS services.
The 2007 SADC Peoples’ Summit will be held parallel to the SADC Heads of State Summit in Lusaka, Zambia. Following the successful hosting of the SADC Peoples’ Summit in Maseru in August 2006 - the Southern African Peoples’ Solidarity Network in collaboration with network members and other social movements and people based organizations in the SADC region will be holding a 'People’s Summit' on 15 and 16 August under the Banner 'Reclaiming SADC For Peoples’ Development and Solidarity: Let the People Speak!!!'. The Peoples’ Summit will offer CSO’s and Social Movements and opportunity to consolidate the outcomes of the process launched in 2006.
The Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS) presents the "Resource Mobilisation" training course scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 3 to 7 December 2007. This one-week course provides skills for designing, implementing and evaluating an efficient resource mobilisation campaign. With the advent of globalisation and the changing HIV & AIDS paradigm, managers find themselves in a far more competitive environment within which they must secure resources for the growth and sustainability of their organisations and programmes.CAFS invites you and members of your staff, grantees or collaborating partners to apply for admission to this course. The tuition fee for this course is US$1,000, which covers tuition, training materials, supplies and certification awards.
TGNP are pleased to announce that the next Gender Festival on 'African Feminist Struggles in the Context of Globalization' will take place at TGNP's Gender Resource Centre, Mabibo Dar es Salaam Tanzania from 11 to 14 September 2007. Discussions will take into account the present context of corporate-led globalisation and 'free market' ideology, and their impact on development and democracy in Africa and the world over, and examine alternative frameworks and strategies. The deadline for abstracts is 30 June, 2007 and for the final papers is 10 August 2007.
CIHR and its partners are pleased to announce that the 4th annual Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI) competition will be launched mid-July. The PHSI initiative supports teams of researchers and decision makers interested in conducting applied health research useful to health system managers and/or policy makers. Successful teams conduct projects of up to three years duration in high priority thematic areas within health services, health systems and policy research (including public health).