GB-COH-RC000710-LATAM Queen Mary University of London A UK and low- and middle-income country (LMIC) partnership that aims to strengthen community-based care for people with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory conditions and mental health problems in Latin America. The partnership brings together a regional research centre across three Latin American countries – Bolivia, Colombia and Guatemala – to strengthen research and service capacity, conduct high-quality research, and ultimately improve quality of life and disease-specific outcomes for people living with long-term non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including those from often-neglected indigenous communities. Supported by Queen Mary University of London (UK), the Centre links Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, which acts as the regional hub, with Universidad Franz Tamayo in Bolivia and Universidad Rafael Landívar in Guatemala. The Centre’s research investigates how long-term conditions can be better managed within communities. Its approach uses resource-oriented interventions that support people to draw on their own strengths, relationships and community resources to address lifestyle factors and behaviours associated with long-term conditions. The research adapts and tests these interventions to assess their effectiveness and identify the best ways to implement and deliver them within local health services. The Centre also strengthens the skills and capacity of local researchers and clinicians to support the sustainability of its work and increase its longer-term impact. PhD and Master’s programmes in Colombia provide formal training opportunities for students from all three countries, while helping to build a network of researchers connected across the region and internationally. Research activities are developed and discussed in collaboration with advisory groups comprising people living with long-term conditions, clinicians working in community services, community organisations and representatives of local government. There is a particular focus on ensuring that indigenous communities are active participants and collaborators in the research, recognising the disproportionate impact of long-term conditions within these communities. The overall objective of the project is to strengthen and sustain a world-class research centre with a regional focus in Latin America that builds research and service capacity, conducts high-quality research, and ultimately improves quality of life and disease-specific outcomes for people living with long-term non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including those from often-neglected indigenous communities. In the short term, the Centre strengthens relationships between partners around a shared vision, engages with local stakeholders, delivers postgraduate training, and identifies and supports future research leaders. In the medium term, the Centre consolidates capacity-strengthening activities through cross-cutting, high-quality and priority-driven research that evaluates the effectiveness and implementation of appropriate interventions for people living with long-term NCDs. In the longer term, the Centre aims to sustain and expand its work by developing a critical mass of researchers with regional and international collaborations, complementary skills and high-level expertise to lead research programmes and secure further funding. The Centre generates relevant research evidence and works to inform policy and practice to improve health and social outcomes for people living with NCDs. NIHR Global Health Queen Mary University of London Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Universidad Rafael Landivar Universidad Franz Tamayo 1388314 1675209 1416302 1359804 1153579 1836600 2300768