Globally, countries in Africa and Asia face the world’s highest mortality rates attributable to diseases including malaria, dengue and pneumonia. Research plays a critical role in improving health outcomes for populations living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In these settings, health systems face a range of challenges including limited resources, inadequate infrastructure and insufficient healthcare personnel. Investing in research to generate evidence-based interventions and best practices contributes to building resilient health systems, which in turn helps to increase equitable access to quality services and improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable.