REACH > HIV Research Network

HIV Research Network

-Networking for better use of research results…

One of the components of the REACH project is to  establish an HIV research network in Vietnam. The aim of the network is to strengthen the communication, cooperation and coordination among people working with HIV and AIDS.

The network at a glance

Download the full Statement of Purpose
Download the first stakeholder meeting report
Download recommendations to the network by Vietnamese stakeholders 

Latest news: Research workshop 

Contributions of Public Health and Social Research to the national HIV responses - Workshop no 4 September 10, 2010

Download the invtiation.

Launching

On September 9 2009 the network is launching its website at an international workshop held in Hanoi. Researchers from Vietnam, Sweden and Holland representing a number of institutions including Hanoi Medical University, CDC, Medish Comite Nederland-Vietnam and the University of Copenhagen will present.  See the invitation and  programme.

Background

The amount of social science and public health research on HIV and AIDS in Vietnam has increased rapidly over the past years. We have accumulated more knowledge about what drives the epidemic, who the most vulnerable groups are and what the community, political and evidence based response to HIV and AIDS in Vietnam should be. With the increasing amount of available research results the need to establish and maintain a certain level of communication and information sharing has emerged. The number of stakeholders has grown and now includes independent academic institutions based in Vietnam and abroad, civil society organisations conducting action oriented research, United Nations’ specialised agencies as well as numerous individuals, students and consultants engaged in managing or conducting research themselves.

We would like to address the situation by initiating a network focusing on social science and public health research on HIV and AIDS in northern parts of Vietnam. The network shall provide a structure for the national and international members to establish and maintain effective communication and coordination. Whereas this initiative has been taken by a group of researcher affiliated with University of Copenhagen within the framework of the Strengthening Reproductive Health Research in Vietnam (REACH) project we hope that the network and its future activities will be managed and owned by our Vietnamese partners.

Purpose 

We hope that this network will contribute to and give greater regional and national impacts to research on national priorities, thus eventually improving the lives of children, young people and adults living with or affected by HIV or AIDS in Vietnam.   

• Our purpose is to provide a framework for sharing of information, coordination and collaboration on on-going and future social science and public health research on HIV and AIDS in Vietnam.

Specific objectives

Within the lifetime of the network we hope to achieve the following specific objectives:

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  To facilitate the sharing of research results, ideas and methodologies among national and international researchers and other resource persons by providing an overview of and access to new research;

• To promote collaboration among researchers at different institutions and organisations inside and outside of the region by putting them in contact with each other;

• To develop capacity within the network to become self-managed by establishing a sustainable working structure capable of functioning independently when the REACH project funding is coming to an end.

Activities

• To establish an overview of on going research activities in the field of in social science and public health on the impacts of HIV and AIDS in Vietnam, primarily in the Northern parts of the country, by creating a list-serv of resource persons;

• To create a website providing access to academic abstracts and description of ongoing research activities as well as other relevant information;

• To publish three to four annual electronic newsletters with relevant information on on-going research activities;

• To conduct one annual research seminar to be held either in Vietnam or in Northern Europe to discuss and evaluate research results of general interest to the network members.

Upcoming activities

• Download programme for the launching workshop  

Previous activities

• Download the first stakeholder meeting report 
• Download recommendations to the network by Vietnamese stakeholders 
• Download list of participants in stakeholder meeting
  

Members

The members of this network are institutions and individuals that share the core values of the network and include:

• National and international research institutions that are actively involved in academic research in social science and public health on the impacts of HIV and AIDS in Vietnam, primarily in the northern parts of the country;

• Civil society organisations that are actively involved in action oriented research on the impacts of HIV and AIDS in Vietnam, primarily in the northern parts of the country; and

• Individual resource persons who have been actively involved in social science or public health oriented research activities in Vietnam.

Working modalities

The organisational structure and working modalities of the network should be as flexible as possible to avoid any unnecessary bureaucracy. One part time national coordinator will be identified and will be in charge of managing the website, editing the quarterly news letters, maintaining the list-serv, etc. A board of project partners will be established to guide the functioning of the network and to ensure that the actions of the network are in harmony with its Statement of Purpose. The network will be located in Office of Population, Family and Children.

 
The HIV/AIDS Research Network will enable researchers and stakeholders to discuss research activities and research results. The appointed network coordinator is, in collaboration with representatives from the PMU, in charge of setting targets for the number of institutions that participate in this National HIV/AIDS Research Network. Furthermore, the network coordinator is in charge of creating a webpage and setting targets for the number of hits to it as well as writing and publishing regular newsletters on the webpage.

As in the first phase, the research network between Danish and Vietnamese institutions is strengthened by enrolling three Vietnamese PhD-students and 5 MA Vietnamese students at the Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen.