[Health research in Honduras: a decade of transformations, challenges, and sustainable institutional strengtheningPesquisa em saúde em Honduras: uma década de transformações, desafios e fortalecimento institucional sustentável].

Honduras has historically faced significant limitations to scientific development, with research spending below 0.1% of the gross domestic product and a university system focused almost exclusively on teaching. However, between 2007 and 2012, the Teasdale-Corti project (a joint undertaking of Canada and Honduras) marked a turning point by establishing the first academic master's degree in infectious and zoonotic diseases, a biomedical research laboratory, an ethics committee, and biosafety training programs. This process laid the groundwork for the creation of the Microbiology Research Institute. Over the last decade, these initiatives have trained numerous researchers, consolidated research groups in priority infectious diseases, and led to over 170 publications in indexed journals, representing about 12% of the scientific output of the National Autonomous University of Honduras. Likewise, the advent of the assistant researcher role allowed for a significant increase in academic output. Comparison with other Central American countries reveals a marked lag compared to Costa Rica and Panama, mainly explained by the low level of investment in research. Conversely, factors such as international collaboration, local leadership, and institutional integration have been decisive in sustaining progress. The Honduran experience demonstrates that, even in contexts of vulnerability, it is possible to build scientific capacities by combining a strategic vision, sustainable partnerships, and institutional commitment. Nevertheless, these achievements are still fragile and require future consolidation.