A research agenda is a strategic plan that outlines the goals, priorities, and areas of investigation for future research endeavors.  It serves as a roadmap, guiding researchers toward meaningful and impactful work. In the context of WHO, a research agenda identifies priority areas and gaps in health information and research, shaping new avenues for investigation and innovation for public health. A research prioritization document ranks the agenda to provide the most pressing areas to focus efforts. As the custodian of norms and standards for health information and research, WHO supports countries in the identification of research priorities and product gaps that will guide new areas of investigation and innovation. WHO actively promotes fairness and equity in research, including support for open access to research through shared data and publication platforms. 

• Enabling researchers, developers and funders to align their research with public health priorities  
• Integrating implementation and end-user needs and considerations into R&D with a specific focus on the most vulnerable populations  
• Including a wide range of stakeholders to ensure the research agenda and priorities will meet public health needs 

A research agenda setting exercise is a thorough process identifying and ranking research required for public health impact on a particular theme. Clear research priorities allow resource allocation, and research roadmaps clearly articulate timeframes and who is responsible for implementation to reach the public health goals. National research agendas identify priorities for public health outcomes in a country’s context and may cover several thematic areas. 

• Introduction: Contextualize the agenda, highlighting its purpose and relevance, and what is already known. 
• Public health need: Clearly define the public health need to be addressed, including disease outcomes or risk factors, desired change, and the time frame to be covered. 
• Methodology: Describe the approach to research prioritization. Be transparent on the methodology chosen and why. Articulate the value judgements such as on cost effectiveness, feasibility, inclusivity. A wide range of relevant stakeholders should be engaged. 
• Priorities: Provide a clear short list of priorities to facilitate action, these may be grouped for example by time frame or research area. 
• Implementation: Explain how the agenda should be implemented and by whom to align stakeholders and accelerate impact. 
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Explain how progress will be assessed, and what would trigger a reevaluation of the research priorities.