Research in India: success through collaboration

Those contemplating research in developing countries should bear in mind the following: the collective wisdom of both foreign and local investigators should be pooled to determine the most appropriate research questions and ethical obligations. Several collaborative research programmes launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that it is eminently possible to engage in high-quality cross-cultural research, and many of these studies have generated a wealth of data from developing countries. Rigorous and highly sophisticated studies are possible in the developing world (Wilson, 1990). At the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) we have had several opportunities to collaborate successfully with researchers both within and outside India (Eaton et al , 1995; Thara & Eaton, 1996). This success has largely been due to mutual respect for one another's expertise and role with no room for patronisation and condescension.