Table 4 Recommendations related to each HRS function/component

Governance

Governance

1 Coordination

1 Enhance coordination of the governance function—ideally as part of an overall health research strategy, at minimum as pandemic preparation

2 Priority-setting

2 Develop transparent mechanisms, including using an equity lens, for wide/public engagement in priority-setting, rapid centralized (trial) prioritization in a crisis and encourage adherence to and monitoring of priorities, which may require adjustment over time

3 Ethical approval

3 Identify ways, including increased resources, to sustain pandemic progress and accelerate ethics and other approvals and enhance data access and sharing

4 Evaluation

4 Incorporate into evaluation approaches routine assessment of research impact on health policies, practice, equity, and health and economic well-being; recognize the new opportunities for more rapid assessments

Financing

Financing

5 Securing finance

5 Encourage continuation of enhanced research funding by documenting impacts from COVID-19 research and discourage cuts in non-COVID-19 research by analysing the damage already caused; identify ways to tackle waste

Capacity

Capacity

6 Capacity-building

6 Train and sustain as wide a range of research capacity as can be afforded and include pandemic planning; integrate clinical research capacity into healthcare systems; enhance/build capacity to use and communicate research

Production and use

Production and use of research knowledge

7 Knowledge production

7 Continue the accelerated methods of research production—where possible using the new vaccines platforms, more adaptive platform trials, transdisciplinary research and, if relevant, co-production; continue the trends towards rapid open access publication

8 Promote use in new products

8 Continue accelerated translation of research into new products by, where appropriate, encouraging continuation of unprecedented levels of public/private collaboration and public funding of research and regulatory bodies

9 Translate to inform policies, practice and opinion

9 Promote structures, cultures and networks that encourage the use of evidence relevant for the needs of policy-making and practice using an equity framework; recognize the importance, and fund, collaborative living guidelines; invest in strategic, evidence-based communication that accounts for current political realities, the influence of key stakeholder groups and individuals, and variations in audience understanding and preference—and is therefore trustworthy

Comprehensive strategies for health research

10 Develop and implement comprehensive health research strategies enhancing the effectiveness of specific steps and maximizing opportunities for producing research to improve health policies, practice, equity, and health and economic well-being

Negative impacts on HRSs

11 Use the HRS strategy to help address problems created, or exacerbated, by the pandemic; build on steps taken to address funding/early-career/minority/gender issues; recognize and promote improved (digital) techniques developed to facilitate research and engagement during the pandemic