The Oxford Scenario Planning approach has been adopted to inform Covid-19 research priorities and recommendations for the next 18 months.
GloPID-R is a worldwide alliance that brings together funding bodies to facilitate rapid research on infectious diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential. Up to March 2021, research funders globally had invested over $3.8bn in research focused on Covid-19 and new or re-emerging infectious diseases.
GloPID-R’s scientific advisory group (SAG) was tasked with assessing what the research priorities might be for GloPID-R member organisations in 2021-23. Their focus is Covid-19 and other infectious diseases, including those which could be transmitted from animals to humans.
To assess these priority areas for funding research, they used the Oxford Scenario Planning Approach – OSPA. In an uncertain world scenario planning informs decision-makers, helping them to plan for potential challenges and opportunities.
The scenario planning was led by Rafael Ramirez, Director of the Oxford Scenarios Programme and Professor of Practice.
The SAG, supported by Dr Gail Carson at the Nuffield Department of Medicine and the GloPID-R secretariat, imagined how looking back at the years 2021-2023 from 2030 – manifested as three scenarios.
In this way, the priorities were assessed by looking at the 2021-23 time period from three possible future perspectives, and not from the present one. These scenarios were then used to inform the research funding priorities.
The group has produced a report covering its findings and their subsequent recommendations and considerations.
Professor Ramirez said: ‘We’re delighted to see an adaptation of our methodology which contributes to better address urgent and high priority issues facing humanity.’