The purpose of this study is to explore how the domestic private sector, particularly homegrown small to medium-sized firms (SMEs), in developing countries can contribute to the development of health technologies targeted to address local health needs.   We originally began the study focused on ‘Innovative Developing Countries’ – those with strength in the life sciences and biotechnology – which included India, China, Brazil and South Africa.  We subsequently began to build upon these findings to explore further the role of the domestic private sector in building up life sciences innovation capacity in lesser developed countries, focusing on Ghana, Tanzania and Rwanda in particular. 

This work expands upon our earlier studies on health biotechnology innovation systems in developing countries to incorporate how different actors can mutually encourage sustainable investment by the domestic private sector in developing countries into health technologies targeted to address local health needs.  We also aim to provide key international decision-makers with the knowledge they need to support private sector development in developing countries for the purpose of recruiting domestic firms to the challenge of global health inequity. 

The outputs of this project will include: 1) strategic business models for consideration by private sector firms in developing countries; 2) a pilot partnership program for facilitating strategic alliances between health biotechnology firms in developing countries and in North America; 3) intelligence for consideration by international global health funding agencies, including data on partnerships that promote R&D and commercialization of health products; 4) models of a global health innovation fund for consideration by the international investment community; and 5) models of good practices in national innovation policies for consideration by developing country governments.

This project began in 2005 and is funded under our current Genome Canada Competition 3 grant.  It will be completed in 2009.  Currently, we have conducted interviews with senior managers from over 70 innovative health genomics and biotechnology companies in India, China, Brazil, South Africa, Ghana, and Tanzania.