Creating a collaborative network in a low/middle income country region. A practical (and motivational) guide to getting started

Over the past two decades collaborative research in surgery has been gaining strength (1– 3). These studies have usually been led by investigators located in highincome countries with access to academic and methodological resources. Even though the studies may include centres from lowor middleincome countries (LMICs), not until recently have we seen studies that have been generated de novo in these countries. Furthermore, participation of centres in lowincome countries especially remains a challenge due to limited infrastructure and clinical research culture. Recent initiatives (for example the NIHR Global Surgery unithttps://www.globa lsurg eryun it.org/) have sought to address this imbalance. The European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) has been at the vanguard of adopting collaborative research methodologies into everyday colorectal practice – initially within Europe and then more globally. Latin America has utilised ESCP's Eagle study (4) as the springboard for a 4year process of generating its own collaborative network (LATAM Colorectal Surgery Consortium). Most importantly, LATAMCSC have now successfully launched their own collaborative efforts, including projects aiming to assess results of colorectal surgery in the region for the first time in its history. This editorial provides a stepbystep guide to starting a collaborative network in LMICs that may be of use to others.