Below is the opening line of a news item in Nature. Unfortunately it is behind a paywall so it is not clear what concerns researchers: the loss of funding and/or the reorganisation?
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02741-z
'The group that helped to revolutionize medical practice has lost key funding and is reorganizing — moves that concern some researchers...'
In March 2023, core NIHR infrastructure funding for UK Cochrane Review Groups ceased, forcing many Cochrane review groups to close.
Cochrane is a HIFA supporting organisation, and it's the leading organisation on systematic reviews. Several other organisations have emerged in this field, including JBI (formerly Joanna Briggs Institute), another HIFA supporting organisatino that has been helping HIFA with the current Global survey www.hifa.org/survey2023
Systematic reviews and research synthesis are a key part of the global evidence ecosystem.
https://www.hifa.org/about-hifa/hifa-vision-mission-strategy [see tab Global Evidence Ecosystem]
It's crucial that this element of the system is not compromised.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
