WHO’s Hinari access to research programme drives increase in publications and trials

5 October, 2024

Extracts from a WHO news release and a comment from me below.

30 September 2024

A World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) study reveals that institutions produced up to 75% more health science publications after joining Hinari.

Launched in 2002, Hinari aims to provide open access to a wide range of journals, e-books, and other resources in multiple languages, supporting researchers and students at non-profit institutions, such as universities and public research institutes...

Research institutions in the Caribbean, central Asia, Europe and Latin America benefited the most from Hinari in generating new scientific knowledge, with academic paper output in these regions increasing by as much as 80–100%.

The report also highlights how involvement in international clinical trials increased by over 20% through Hinari...

For more information on the Hinari programme and its impact, please visit: https://www.research4life.org/about/programs/hinari/

COMMENT (NPW):

I have observed how Hinari has developed since participating in the launch at the BMA in 2002, and congratulate Kimberly Parker and all those who have contributed to its success. As Jeremy Farrar (Chief Scientist, WHO) says, “Hinari continues to play a vital role particularly in low- and middle-income countries, providing access to health science publications, enhancing research capacity and improving clinical trials. By expanding global access to knowledge, Hinari catalyses the creation of even more impactful health research.”

Hinari helps to fix one component of the global evidence ecosystem, and contributes positively to others. The challenge now is for WHO and partners to add a whole-systems perspective to strengthen the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA's recent global consultation concluded that it is time for WHO to commit explicitly and proactively to the goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information (which is already implicit in its Constitution, but has no strategy for its realisation). WHO is uniquely positioned to convene stakeholders to develop a global strategy for universal access. HIFA stands ready to support, alongside The Lancet Global Health and other partners. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(24)00336-X/fulltext

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