A Successful Model of a North-South Collaboration

This presentation will describe the process of setting up a population-based twin study in Sri Lanka, funded by Wellcome Trust, and representing a collaboration between the Sri Lankan Twin Registry and the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. This study has recruited nearly 2000 twin pairs, and 2000 singletons sampled from an identical sampling frame, and has collected data on common mental disorders, substance misuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and somatic symptoms.

The main issues in developing such a collaboration will be described and include: (a) gaining funding; (b) developing relations of trust; (c) developing research which is culturally appropriate; (d) learning to communicate from a distance; (e) having robust research governance; and (f) ensuring the project adds value for both parties.