Trinity International Development – an Initiative Promoting Research and Teaching in International Development has been Launched

Posted on: 02 March 2009

The Trinity International Development Initiative (TIDI), an initiative promoting research and teaching in international development at Trinity College Dublin was launched on Friday, February 27^th last.  As part of the initiative, a Doctoral Training for Development in Africa Programme was also launched.

“There is growing interest at TCD in research and teaching on issues related to international development. This is motivated not only by the potential for making a contribution to poverty reduction, and to sustainable human development worldwide, but also by the intellectual challenge of understanding the processes that are involved,” according to Professor of International Financial Economics and Development,  Patrick Honohan, Chair of the TIDI initiative.

International development is not a separate discipline but one with relevance to numerous schools across all three faculties of the University. TIDI is thus a College-wide initiative to coordinate and pool resources where appropriate and exploit synergies.

Established in 2007 and currently in its formative stages, TIDI has the aim of making possible:

• a substantial increase in the quality and quantity of research on international development across a wide range of disciplines;
• a substantial increase in the number and enthusiasm of students at all levels and from both (the global) North and South, to learn and undertake research about international development issues;
• a deepening and increased number of teaching and research partnerships between Trinity and universities and other institutions in low- and middle-income countries;
• increased understanding by the public, government and other stakeholders of global development issues and the existing state of knowledge.

The Doctoral Training for Development in Africa Programme

Trinity College Dublin received funding from Irish Aid both to establish TIDI as a platform within the University and also to support Doctoral Training in Africa through several related initiatives.

The flagship project within this Programme is the International Doctoral School in Global Health (Indigo). This doctoral programme will be led by  Trinity College ‘s Centre for Global Health based within the School of Medicine . It will have its first intake in September 2009 of approximately six students. Although the programme is based within the School of Medicine it incorporates and synthesises the involvement of staff across Trinity’s three faculties. It provides a bridge between two of Trinity’s key strategic areas of interest – globalisation and health and between Trinity and some of the world’s leading researchers and greatest research challenges in global health. 

This programme is founded on partnership with both African Universities; the University of Ibadan, University of Malawi, Addis Ababa University and Makerere University and other international education and health institutions; School of Medicine at Harvard University, UK Cochrane Centre, University of Oxford, University of Colombia, Council for Health Research for Development (COHRED, Switzerland) and the Human Sciences Research Council (South Africa).

Through these partnerships, the programme offers students taught modules at a variety of internationally renowned Universities. The first year is spent in an international setting, then the following research is carried out from the base of one of the African Universities with a focus on local/regional issues and systems. The initial aim of this research programme is to strengthen health systems in sub-Saharan Africa with particular regard for communicable diseases, human resources for health and inclusive health services.

By developing the interface between social, biological and public health sciences, the programme’s distinctive contribution is to strengthen genuine interdisciplinary capacity, rather than to pursue solutions among multiple, albeit sometimes interlocking disciplinary pathways. Indigo seeks to build capacity in health systems both through the process and products of its activities. Over a ten year period the infrastructure and skills for running Indigo will be developed in each of the four African partner universities enabling Indigo to become a totally Africa-based school.

TCD will also support doctoral training in economics and environmental science through partnership with the African Economic Research Consortium and with the Institute of Environment and Natural Resources at Makerere University in Uganda .

TIDI and The Doctoral Training for Development in Africa Programme are supported by The Programme of Strategic Cooperation between Irish Aid and Higher Education and Research Institutes 2007-2011.