Celebrating 10 Years of R2HC

Our R2HC programme has come a long way in the last decade – from our first call for research proposals in 2013 and publication of the Humanitarian Health Evidence Review, to funding over 100 research studies that have contributed to building the public health evidence base in humanitarian settings.  

This year, a personal highlight has been the publication of our Impact Case Studies series. At a time when humanitarian need is at an all-time high alongside dwindling resources, I am proud that the research we have funded is having an impact on policy and practice, resulting in improved health interventions for people affected by crisis.  

In our tenth year, we also carried out an independent evaluation of the R2HC. The report – which will be published soon – highlights the critical role our programme plays as one of the only funders of rigorous research specifically addressing health in humanitarian settings. It describes its evolution from a largely grant-making initiative to a programme that now supports research teams to achieve impact through influencing and collaborating with evidence users. We are excited by the ambitious recommendations that encourage us to do even more in the years to come. 

It is important to recognise that we have not been on this journey alone. There are many who have helped us achieve so much in a relatively short period of time.  Our work would not have been possible without the expertise of our accomplished Funding Committee and Advisory Group members, our colleagues, and our grantees around the world, past and present. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to address seemingly intractable problems to improve the health of people affected by crisis.  Finally, without the vision and support of our funders – the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Wellcome – it would not have been possible for us to evolve and deliver a world-class research programme. We owe an enormous thanks to all of you who make up our R2HC community – we hope you’ll be alongside us for the next decade!