Building research capacity is considered an essential component of strengthening healthcare systems in lowerand middle-income countries (LMICs) (ESSENCE on Health Research, 2011). When research capacity is limited, there is a void in the production of contextually relevant research, in the mobilisation of research evidence for societal benefits and in the synthesis of research evidence to inform practice, programmes and policies. Although many long-standing programmes have aimed to improve research capacity in LMICs, a substantial number of these have been primarily oriented towards enhanced graduate or postgraduate training opportunities (eg, WHO-TDR Fellowships), often with a basic biomedical research focus.