was a 5-year research partnership funded by the European Union. Launched in 2011, UNITAS consisted of partners from Tanzania, South Africa, UK and Belgium. Institutions involved were: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Coordinator), University of Cape Town, Ifakara Health Institute, University of Witwatersrand, University of Kwazulu-Natal and Institute of Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam. This research aimed to: track policy formulation and planning for implementation; monitor the progress of policy implementation at both the national and district levels, with an emphasis on identifying implementation problems and serving as an ‘early warning system’ for policy makers and implementers; evaluate the impact of interventions aimed at progressing towards the goal of universal coverage; and engage with policy makers and implementers at all levels about the research findings throughout the study period. The project was completed in March 2016.