Project management expertise for project leaders in phase 4 of the Hospital Networks and Partnerships Project (PRPH)

Background to the proposal

In 2009, the Hospital Partnerships Fund (FPH) was transferred to the French Development Agency (AFD) by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs to form the Hospital Networks and Partnerships Project (PRPH), which helps to finance international hospital cooperation.

Between 2009 and 2024, the PRPH financed more than sixty hospital partnership and network projects in low- and middle-income countries, as well as international hospital cooperation events.

Since February 2024, Expertise France has been the project manager for phase 4 of the PRPH. This new phase, still financed by AFD, is being implemented in partnership with the Fédération Hospitalière de France (FHF). The duration of the project is 3 years, including 2 years of implementation (2025 – 2026), i.e. the end of activities in December 2026 for the project leaders.

The aim of this project is to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of hospital care by providing financial support for hospital partnerships and networks to encourage the exchange of best practice in terms of governance and the provision of high-quality care.

It is structured around three areas of intervention:

1. Consolidating international hospital partnerships
2. Strengthening international hospital cooperation networks
3. Promoting and enhancing regional hospital cooperation

The project will call on a range of external expertise in the areas of gender, capitalisation and project management, which is Groupe URD’s area of expertise.

Objective and targets

The overall objective of the project management expertise is to build the capacity of project promoters to effectively manage and monitor their activities and ensure the accountability of their actions to the various stakeholders involved in the project.

The activities are targeted at the French hospitals identified as project sponsors. Each project leader will propose a partnership with a hospital abroad, which may be located in different countries targeted by the action. In the previous phase, 34 applications were received and Expertise France plans to select around 20 applications for this new phase. This selection will take place at the end of 2024, with activities starting at the beginning of 2025.

Groupe URD’s mission is organised around 4 main milestones:

1. An inventory of needs and expectations based on a consultation of project stakeholders
2. Development of training tools and content
3. Training project leaders in Project Management
4. Support for project leaders