The Amsterdam Institute for Global Health & Development (AIGHD) is an international research and education institute focused on interdisciplinary research, generating insights and developing solutions to address global challenges in health and development.
Launched in 2009, AIGHD was established as a collaboration between biomedical researchers, social scientists and economists at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (AUMC), the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the VU University Amsterdam (VU) to combine research and education expertise in global health and development.
AIGHD was founded by the late Joep Lange, Professor of Internal Medicine at the Academic Medical Center, world-renowned HIV/AIDS researcher and pioneer of antiretroviral therapy. Joep was passionate about improving access to quality healthcare, particularly in low-income countries, and advancing science for the benefit of society as a whole. The founding objectives of improving health equity, strengthening healthcare delivery, and forging closer links between research and practice are still at the core of what we do.
Our work is conducted with collaborating partners internationally and our headquarters are located in Amsterdam—capital city of the Netherlands, and one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. Amsterdam is renowned for its rich melting pot of diverse cultures, ideas and influences—a city with a long history of creative and intellectual freedom, progressive and egalitarian attitudes, and cross-sectoral cooperation. This inclusive and pioneering spirit of the city of Amsterdam and our founder, Joep Lange, is an enduring source of strength and inspiration for our organization.
In 2017, the Amsterdam Institute for International Development (AIID) became an integral part of AIGHD. The inclusion of AIID’s researchers and activities in the fields of development economics and impact evaluation opened up opportunities for more ambitious interdisciplinary research on health and human development. AIID was founded in 2001 by the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam to link expertise in the field of international development.
Through the integration with AIID, AIGHD gained an extensive track record in research on international development, with a special emphasis on the reduction of poverty in developing countries and transition economies. AIID was known for its rigorous evaluation of policy interventions in developing countries, meeting international academic standards. Themes of evaluation research included health, water & sanitation, education, early childhood development, infrastructure and agriculture.
