Background: To achieve the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of good health and well-being, particularly as it relates to maternal-newborn health, research and policy in LMICs must reflect and account for context specific health needs. It is imperative that midwives, nurses, and other health care providers are therefore equipped with the research and advocacy tools necessary to respond and account for such needs.

Purpose: To share the preliminary findings of a case study which explored resiliency and capacity building within the context of collaborative partnerships between maternal-child health researchers in Canada and Nigeria.

Methods: Stake’s (1995) principles of qualitative case study guided this research. Following ethical approval, data was collected using individual face to face and skype interviews. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders located in Nigeria and Canada. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was used for analysis. 

Findings: Findings will be presented as they relate to the ongoing collaborative relationships between maternal-child health researchers in Nigeria and Canada. Presented findings will address; strengths of the relationships, challenges of conducting global maternal-child health research, and ideas to enhance the capacity of maternal-child health research in LMICs.

Conclusions: Ongoing global partnerships and mentoring are crucial for building research capacity in LMICs. Resiliency and leadership are key to the maintenance of such relationships and mentoring.  

Implications for practice: These findings have the potential to inform policies that aim to strengthen maternal-child health research globally.

Building research capacity: A case study about maternal-child health researchers in Nigeria and Canada