The INCLEN Trust

On October 15, 2000, the INCLEN Trust was officially launched in Bangkok, Thailand with the signing of the Trust Deed by the 10 Original Founders and ratification by the Board of Governors.

          Members of the INCLEN, Inc. Board of Directors.

          7 Presidents or coordinators of the CLENs

Witnessing the signing of the Trust Deed were 36 CEU Directors, who are all members of the Board of Governors.

This marks a new phase of INCLEN - a new period of learning, where the regional CLENs become the pillars of INCLEN Trust and where CEUs interact with each other through the CLENs and through collaborative work. IndiaCLEN is a shining example of how regions can develop their governance structure, including the establishment of the Institutional Review Board, and develop a portfolio of research, evaluation and training. The Extensive experiences of IndiaCLEN in health program evaluation are of immense value to other CLENs that are developing partnerships with their own ministries of health. The IndiaCLEN Infectious Disease Initiative, IndiaSAFE and studies on lifestyle diseases are providing essential information and potential solutions for priority health problems in the country and even other developing countries.

But there are many challenges ahead. In the learning community of INCLEN Trust, We have much to learn from each other in terms of honing our leadership and management skills. The INCLEN Trust has put leadership development in the forefront of its program thrusts. This will mean more strategic thinking to meet the demands of health care in the 21st Century and the challenges put forth by the recent International Conference on Health Research for Development held in Bangkok, Thailand. The Program will also include development of new competencies for excellent and relevant health research, for partnership development and coalition-building, and for capacity enhancement.

In the rate of training, the Trust and IndiaCLEN will need to harness its success and make use of New Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to be able to extend knowledge beyond the confines of CEUs and medical schools with CEUs. For a Country that has reached a billion populations, this is indeed a big challenge for the future. In the area of research, ICT advances will also change the manner and speed of collaborating with each other. The challenge will be to continuously improve the quality of our research and our reporting, even as we continue to pursue essential research relevant to country and regional needs. Finally, in all that we do and reflect on, the challenge is to never forget the yardstick of impact on health and equity. Will the new Trust and IndiaCLEN truly make a difference in the lives of our patients and communities.