Forum 2012 focuses on a new world: one where long-term development aid is no longer a major feature of global interaction, solidarity and diplomacy, because low and middle income countries have found better ways to achieve health, equity and development.

Everyone knows that this world will arrive some day, but no-one knows how to get there. Many different roads hold great promise, and many potential solutions are being tried and tested which may prove to be great contributions to achieving this world. While we cannot be certain about all the ingredients needed to realise this world, we can be sure about one: the capacity of any country to use research, science & technology (S&T) and innovation to improve their health, equity and development – both on their own, and in partnership with the world.

It is impossible to conceive of achieving national economic and health goals without research, S&T and innovation.  Further, it is proving to be impossible to reach global development goals like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) without countries having the capacity to identify and address the conditions, diseases and determinants that stand in the way of health and equity.

Health and socio-economic development are two faces of the same coin. Equity is both a determinant and a result of achieving success in these two areas. The emerging economies are ideal examples, but in fact all successful modern economies have invested substantially, and over a long period of time in their own capacity to identify health and economic priorities, to prepare plans of research and innovation with which to address those priorities, and to create environments which encourage innovation. By innovation, we mean the creation of knowledge which can be translated into technology that delivers measurable health, economic and social progress.

We strongly believe that investment in research, S&T and innovation is what makes countries great –by making them jump up the development ladder. We have the evidence to back this up. What is more, it applies as much – if not more – to countries at the bottom of the development ladder as to those at the top.

Forum 2012 is the first global forum to bring together the key actors who make research and innovation work for health, equity and development. Governments, industry, social enterprises, non-governmental organisations, researchers, media, financiers–donors–sponsors, international organisations, and others who believe that this is the way to move ‘beyond aid’.

Forum 2012 is the 14th global meeting of the Global Forum for Health Research and is a service of the COHRED Group, which resulted from the merger of  COHRED and the Global Forum for Health Research.