Table 1 Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) - Organisational, funding and research network processes [10, 11]

The GACD member agencies are National public funding agencies that primarily fund health research in their own countries. These agencies have come together as a global alliance to contribute to and support infrastructure and research programmes under the auspices of the GACD through finance and management.

GACD alliance members agree on joint research priorities and fund world-class research, fostering collaboration of research programmes between low-and middle income countries and high income countries to fight chronic diseases. Alliance members issue joint requests for applications (RFAs) on a regular basis on topics in strategic focus areas.

Responses to RFAs undergo rigorous peer review through Alliance member’s existing funding processes, although alliance members are moving towards joint peer review by all member agencies. To date, this model has been piloted on a small scale on two of the previous funding calls, and rollout to all agencies is expected for 2017. While this peer-review panel makes recommendations for funding, funding decisions are ultimately made by each of the GACD member agencies, and they are the bodies who award and administer all research funds.

The research teams that receive funding as part of a GACD research programme form a community of researchers and funding agency representatives under the banner of the GACD Research Network (GRN). Through the network, members have the opportunity to participate in joint activities in order to share information and develop common approaches to their research. The Research Network meets annually at the GACD Annual Scientific Meeting, with additional conference calls throughout the year. The joint activities take the form of a number of Working Groups, which are formed and chaired by researchers who choose to work together on common themes across their projects. The collaborative efforts of the GACD Research network and its Working groups are supported by the GACD Secretariat, which is based in London, UK.

Current member agencies of GACD (as of December 2016):

• Argentinian Ministry of Science and Technology (MINCYT), Argentina

• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia

• São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Brazil

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada

• Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), China

• Research & Innovation DG, European Commission, EU

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India

• Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Japan

• National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubirán, Mexico - funding available through Conacyt

• South African Medical Research Council (SA MRC), South Africa

• Health Systems Research Institute, Thailand

• Medical Research Council (MRC), United Kingdom

• National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States