HIV/AIDS is an issue where the gaps between research and policy can have devastating implications. There is increasing concern about the lack of policy response in many contexts and that the nature of policy responses in others does not reflect the breadth of evidence about the causes and consequences of HIV/AIDS. As part of a broad programme of work on Bridging Research and Policy in development, the RAPID programme at ODI has been working to understand research-policy interactions regarding HIV/AIDS. Our overall aim is to provide suggestions and tools to help others bridge the gap between research and policy more effectively. The project is supported by the Merck Foundation.

This study used the framework to understand the factors that affect the interaction between research and policy on HIV/AIDS in developing countries. The final project report includes findings of the three country studies (Uganda, Kenya and Botswana) and looks at the research-policy linkages in three issue areas: Safe blood, MTCT and the 3x5 Initiative.

A project workshop took place on 15th March 2004 at ODI. Focusing on four arenas - Context, Evidence, Links and External influences - RAPID's, integrated framework helped identify key issues regarding policy change and the relative importance of research in different contexts.