At its 2004 annual meeting, the Global Forum for Health Research called for an acceleration in the needed re-orientation of research towards the world’s key health priorities and the correction of the 10/90 gap.

Forum 8 gathered around 900 participants from 450 institutions in 109 countries. Participants represented governments, multilateral and bilateral aid agencies, international and national foundations and NGOs, women's organizations, research institutions and universities, the private sector and the media.

The programme featured ten plenary sessions, 56 parallel and special interest group sessions, 90 posters and some 40 market stalls. The work will be pursued in the coming year under each of the specific themes discussed in the plenary and parallel sessions by the respective institutions, networks and partnerships.