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The South Asian Cochrane Centre, the coordinating centre for the SACNC, is located at the Prof B V Moses & ICMR Advanced Centre for Research and Training in Evidence- Informed Health Care at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India. The South Asian Cochrane Centre was registered as an independent Cochrane Centre on July 15, 2008 Prathap Tharyan, Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Christian Medical College, is the Director of the Centre.

History The South Asian Cochrane Network (SACN) was initially established as a branch of the Australasian Cochrane Centre in January 2005 to coordinate the training and support needs for the growing number of review authors based in the region, and to promote awareness of the Cochrane Collaboration. This followed an exploratory meeting in Goa in December 2004 that was attended by 25 Cochrane review authors and editors from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The South Asian Cochrane Network applied to the Monitoring and Registration Group of the Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group to be re-designated as the South Asian Cochrane Network & Centre in March 2008. The countries for which the SACNC is currently the reference Cochrane Centre: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Pakistan. Prof. BV Moses & Indian Council of Medical Research Centre for Advanced Research & Training in Evidence-Informed Health Care The Centre is funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as a Centre for Advanced Research in Evidence Based Health Care from August 2007 to August 2012. The funding from the ICMR enables the Centre to employ core staff as well as undertake training and dissemination activities in India.

The Goals of the ICMR funding are:

GOAL 1:Build capacity among network sites of the South Asian Cochrane Network to undertake training workshops in developing systematic reviews and contribute towards evidence based practice Theme 1:Building/increasing capacity, support and co-ordination of network sites in India

GOAL 2:Identifying and prioritizing locally relevant areas for research Theme 2: Prioritizing systematic reviews and identifying evidence-practice gaps Goal 3:Increasing capacity to understand the role of and to undertake systematic reviews Theme 3:Training and supporting review authors in India

Goal 4: Making research from India and South Asia available Theme 4:Maintaining a register of published and unpublished trials from South Asia

GOAL 5:Informing healthcare decisions through the uptake of evidence from systematic reviews Theme 5:Promoting use of The Cochrane Library Theme 6:Disseminating information in The Cochrane Library in the form of summaries Theme 7:Disseminating information about Systematic reviews, The Cochrane Library and Evidence Based Practice

GOAL 6:Increasing capacity and skills for evidence-based practice Theme 8:Increase capacity among policy makers to access, appraise, and implement evidence based health policy Theme 9:Increasing capacity among clinicians to access, appraise and implement evidence based practice

Goal 7:Improving the transparency, conduct and reporting of clinical trials in India Theme 10:Encouraging the prospective registration of clinical trials in India and the region Theme 11:Facilitating better conduct of clinical trials in India

GOAL 8:Contributing to the Cochrane Collaboration and coordinating Cochrane activities in South Asia

Theme 12: Establishing a South Asian Cochrane Centre and Network Download the full Strategic Plan of the ICMR Advanced Centre (pdf file) The Centre has also initiated two annual events with this funding: An annual South Asian Regional Essay Competition for Undergraduates and Postgraduates in the Health Sciences An annual South Asian Regional Symposium on Evidence-Informed Health Care.

The Centre has established and maintains the South Asian Database of Controlled Clinical Trials, a register of completed, published and unpublished clinical trials from the South Asian region compiled from electronic and manual searches of health-science journals published from the countries for which the SACNC is the reference Cochrane Centre. This database ensures that trials published in journals that are not indexed in commonly searched international databases such as Medline are made available in the public domain to researchers, authors of systematic reviews and others. Citation details from these trials are also submitted quarterly to the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials (CENTRAL).

The Centre also produces SACN News (now re-named SACNC news), the bi-annual newsletter of the Network and Centre's activities. It is working towards establishing and maintaining the South Asian Database of Controlled Clinical Trials, a register of completed, published and unpublished clinical trials from the South Asian region. The Centre is involved in research and training aimed at improving the scientific validity and ethical conduct of clinical trials in the region.

The Centre also assists with disseminating information about and endorsing prospective trials registration and the Clinical Trials Registry- India. Prof. Tharyan is a member of the steering and technical advisory groups of this registry. Prof. Tharyan is a programme partner for the Effective Health Care Research Partnership Consortium (EHCRPC).This is an international research network commissioned by the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK led by the International Health Research Group at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK. This consortium aims is to increase the number of decisions in the health sector in low and middle income countries based on the best available evidence.

This funding helps mentor reviewer authors in the region, undertake training, and also support some of the activities of the Network outside India. The Centre is also the Indian Satellite of the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group (CSG) based at the University of Nottingham, UK and employs an Assistant Trials Search Coordinator who helps maintain the CSG's specialist register of controlled clinical trials. Read more about the activities of the SACNC (download pdf file): Allen C, Tharyan P, Clarke M. International Activity in the Cochrane Collaboration with particular reference to India. National Medical Journal of India 2007;20:250-55.

Centre staff

Director: Prof Prathap Tharyan (0.5; honorary)

Core Staff (all full time):

Administrator: To be appointed Research

Scientist:To be appointed

Research Associate: Dr Aneesh George

Assistant Trials Search Coordinator for the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group: Ms Julie Monalisa

Information Specialist : To be appointed

Programmer and Web Designer: Mr Venkatesh Parthasarathy

Bio-statistician: Richard Kirubakaran

Administrative Assistant and Trials Search Coordinator for the South Asian Database of Controlled Clinical Trials: Mr Paul Jabez Barnabas

Office Assitant : Mr. Jayakar Ratankumar

Honorary Consultants Dr.Thambu David Sudarsanam (Prof of Medicine)

Dr.John Victor Peter (Associate Prof of Medicine)

Dr.Titus Samson Premkumar (Asst.Prof of Psychiatry)

Visiting Adjunct Fellow: Dr. David Sinclair (Editor, Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group; International Health Group; Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool UK)

Annual Reports August 2008- July 2009 August 2009- March 2010 (interim report)

Our Reviews For a list of registered titles, protocols and full reviews (with a contact author from a country for which the South Asian Cochrane Network & Centre is the reference centre), click on the country listed below (and on the icons for titles, protocols or reviews): Bangladesh; India; Pakistan; Sri Lanka,

Funding and Support

Funding
Current funding for the Centre is from:

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India
Effective Health Care Research Programme Consortium, UK (via DFID and the International Health Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine)
The Cochrane Schizophrenia Group (via the Department of Health, UK and the University of Nottingham)
World Health Organization- Clinical Trials in Children

The Centre receives infrastructural support from the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India

The Centre has received additional funding for infrastructure and specific events or projects from:

The Alumni of the Christian Medical College (Batch of 1959-1960) - India
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Development- New Delhi, India
The Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
The Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India
The Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
The Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, India
The University of Berkeley, California, USA (via the Cochrane HIV AIDS review group)
The University of Leeds, UK
The Vellore Institute of Technology- University, Vellore, India
The World Council of Churches- Geneva, Switzerland
The World Health Organization- India Country Office- New Delhi, India
The Cochrane Collaboration
John Wiley &Sons

ICICI Centre for Child Health and Nutrition

The departments of Biostatistics, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology (Reproductive Medicine Unit), Hematology, Oncology, Endocrinology, Medicine (Infectious Diseases Research and Training Centre), Pulmonary Medicine and the Office of Research,

SACNC network sites are funded by their respective institutions that provide infrastructural support and in-kind support for the activities of the site.

Acknowledgements

The SACNC is grateful for the support and encouragement from our well wishers, contributors and members of the Advisory Group. Particular thanks are due to the Australasian Cochrane Centre, the Effective Health Care Research Partnership Consortium, the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group & the Cochrane Collaboration Secretariat.

Prof. Tharyan is employed by the Christian Medical College, Vellore and is the recipient of a grant for a core research position from the institution that pays his salary (2008-2012) and for a temporary position in the Department of Psychiatry

Declaration of interest

The SACNC is bound by the policy of the Cochrane Collaboration limiting the use of conflicted funds, especially from the pharmaceutical industry or sources that might have a conflict of interest in the production and dissemination of systematic reviews.

Cochrane Centre Directors are required to disclose all relationships with commercial organisations that could pose a conflict of interest that would reasonably appear to be related to the primary interest.

The term 'related organisation' in the questions below means any organisation related to health care or medical research. These declarations of interest are updated regularly.

Prathap Tharyan, Director, The South Asian Cochrane Network and Centre: Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore 632002,Tamil Nadu, India

A. Financial interests

In the last five years, have you:

1. Received research funding: any grant, contract or gift, commissioned research, or fellowship from a related organisation to conduct research?

Yes; these are:

Indian Council of Medical Research [funding for core activities]
PRACTIHC (European Union via University of Leeds) [funding for a project evaluating quality of reporting of trials in low and middle income countries]
Organon Pharmaceuticals (via Quintiles, India) [for a drug trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of a novel antidepressant]
Christian Medical College, Vellore [for various research projects funded by the Fluid Research Fund of the institution]
Effective Healthcare Research Partnership Consortium [via DFID funds from the International Health Group, University of Liverpool,UK; to mentor systematic review authors]
The Cochrane Schizophrenia Group (via the Department of Health, UK and the University of Nottingham and the University of Leeds, UK) [for CSG satellite at Vellore]
The World Health Organization, Geneva [for travel and hospitality related to membership of the Scientific Advisory Group of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and the Expert Advisory Group on Clinical Trials Registration and Reporting]
The Cochrane Collaboration [for holding the exploratory meeting in 2004 and the Centre Director’s meeting in 2008]
John Wiley and Sons [for holding the exploratory meeting in 2004]
The University of Berkeley, California, USA (via the Cochrane HIV AIDS review group) [protocol development workshop in 2004]

For hosting the 2^nd South Asian Regional Symposium on Evidence-Informed Healthcare held at CMC Vellore in April 2008

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Development- New Delhi, India
The Department of Biotechnology, New Delhi, India
The Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India
The Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
The Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, India
The Vellore Institute of Technology- University, Vellore, India
The World Health Organization- India Country Office- New Delhi, India
John Wiley &Sons

For hosting the 3^rd South Asian Regional Symposium on Evidence-Informed Healthcare held at CMC Vellore in January 2010

John Wiley & Sons

The Cochrane Collaboration [travel for resource person]
ICICI Centre for Child Health & Nutrition
The Indian Council of Medical Research
The Christian Medical College, Vellore
The Australasian Cochrane Centre [travel for resource person]
The Effective Healthcare research Partnership Consortium
The Cochrane Schizophrenia group [travel for resource person]

1. Had paid consultancies: any paid work, consulting fees (in cash or kind) for an organisation?

Yes

Novartis Healthcare, India: for conducting a workshop [deposited in Centre account]

MCH STAR (via USAID): for conducting a workshop [travel support]

2. Received honoraria: one-time payments (in cash or kind) from a related organisation?

Yes

World Health Organization (travel support and hospitality)

Indian Council of Medical Research (travel support and hospitality)

The Cochrane Collaboration (travel support and hospitality)

John Wiley & Sons (support for symposium)

3. Served as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or held a position of management with a related organisation?

No

4. Possessed share-holdings, stock, stock options, equity with a related organisation (excludes mutual funds or similar arrangements where the individual has no control over the selection of the shares)?

No

5. Received personal gifts from a related organisation?

No

6. Had an outstanding loan with a related organisation?

No

7. Received royalty payments from a related organisation?

B. Non-financial interests

Do you have any other competing interests that could pose a conflict of interest that would reasonably appear to be related to the primary interest?

None

Prathap Tharyan

March 23, 2010

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