Exploring the Links Between NITAGs and Academic Institutions: A Landscape Analysis

Background: Robust evidence that is contextual, relevant, and timely is crucial to the effective functioning of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs). These groups provide independent advice to their Ministry of Health on issues related to immunization and vaccines, based on evidence and the national context. Similarly, evidence generation is a major hallmark of academic institutions. To ensure national immunization policies benefits from local and contextual evidence, there should be a strong linkage between academic institutions and NITAGs. This study investigated NITAGs and local academic linkage strategies and ways to strengthen such linkages. Methods: The WHO’s quick guide manual on “Performing a landscape analysis: Understanding health product research and development” was adapted and utilized for this landscape analysis which was conducted in two broad phases. The first phase involved the review of published literature, while the second phase entailed key informant interviews (KIIs) with NITAG members and other identified stakeholders in the study countries of Ethiopia and Zambia. The transcripts were transcribed and thematically analyzed. Results: The landscape analysis highlights the paucity of materials focused on documenting the linkage between NITAGs and local academic institutions. The main cross-cutting theme identified from the analysis of the KIIs is the informal and ‘ad hoc’ nature of the linkage, which interviewees described as “working”; was sub-optimal. Conclusion: The overwhelming recommendation calls for the formalization and official recognition of the relationship.