Number
124
Name
The impact of a research skills program on health research capacity building: A case study from Ecuador
Date & Time
Monday, June 8, 2026, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Location Name
Oglethorpe Ballroom
Speakers
Authors
Meliza Barreno, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
Gricelda Herrera-Franco, Facultad de Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena, La Libertad, Ecuador
Ivan Sisa, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
Presentation Topic(s)
Assessment
Description
PURPOSE
Developing and transferring research skills in health has been a complex
task, especially in low-and middle-income countries. In 2011, the Ecuadorian
government launched the “Prometeo-Viejos Sabios” grant program to incorporate
high-level international and national scientists living abroad into Ecuador's
higher education system. The present work aimed to evaluate the program's
impact on biomedical research in Ecuador and draw lessons that could inform
future initiatives.
METHODS
A search was performed on Scopus and Web of Science to retrieve biomedical
publications related to “Prometeo-Viejos Sabios” program. Descriptive
statistics were employed to analyze different bibliometric indicators.
RESULTS
Our study identified 90 publications related to the “Prometeo-Viejos
Sabios” program. These publications were generated by 41 Prometheus
researchers allocated to 19 Ecuadorian higher education institutions, two
national reference hospitals, and one research institute. The primary
countries of origin of the Prometheus researchers were Venezuela, Spain, and
the United States. The most common research areas were basic sciences and
public health. Laboratory (39.6%) and cross-sectional (25.3%) studies were
the most common designs used in the analyzed series. Only 13.2% (n=12) of the
total biomedical research produced was aligned with the main local disease
burden. Additionally, 16 publications used data that was either unrelated to
Ecuador or came from other countries, such as Argentina and Peru. These
publications cost the Ecuadorian government approximately $861,777 USD in
salaries and 12.5 years of time from six Prometheus researchers. Furthermore,
only four of the publications included local researchers in the authorship
byline.
CONCLUSIONS
Self-funded research grant programs in countries of the Global South are
unusual and scarcely documented. In the “Prometeo-Viejos Sabios” program, we
found a mismatch between the local disease burden and scientific production,
inefficiency/negligence in monitoring the execution of the program, and
failure to transfer research skills to local students and researchers in
Ecuador.
Developing and transferring research skills in health has been a complex
task, especially in low-and middle-income countries. In 2011, the Ecuadorian
government launched the “Prometeo-Viejos Sabios” grant program to incorporate
high-level international and national scientists living abroad into Ecuador's
higher education system. The present work aimed to evaluate the program's
impact on biomedical research in Ecuador and draw lessons that could inform
future initiatives.
METHODS
A search was performed on Scopus and Web of Science to retrieve biomedical
publications related to “Prometeo-Viejos Sabios” program. Descriptive
statistics were employed to analyze different bibliometric indicators.
RESULTS
Our study identified 90 publications related to the “Prometeo-Viejos
Sabios” program. These publications were generated by 41 Prometheus
researchers allocated to 19 Ecuadorian higher education institutions, two
national reference hospitals, and one research institute. The primary
countries of origin of the Prometheus researchers were Venezuela, Spain, and
the United States. The most common research areas were basic sciences and
public health. Laboratory (39.6%) and cross-sectional (25.3%) studies were
the most common designs used in the analyzed series. Only 13.2% (n=12) of the
total biomedical research produced was aligned with the main local disease
burden. Additionally, 16 publications used data that was either unrelated to
Ecuador or came from other countries, such as Argentina and Peru. These
publications cost the Ecuadorian government approximately $861,777 USD in
salaries and 12.5 years of time from six Prometheus researchers. Furthermore,
only four of the publications included local researchers in the authorship
byline.
CONCLUSIONS
Self-funded research grant programs in countries of the Global South are
unusual and scarcely documented. In the “Prometeo-Viejos Sabios” program, we
found a mismatch between the local disease burden and scientific production,
inefficiency/negligence in monitoring the execution of the program, and
failure to transfer research skills to local students and researchers in
Ecuador.