The major causes of poor health are rooted in our societies. Governments are encouraged to lead global action on the social determinants of health with the aim of achieving health equity. This requires setting-specific, timely and relevant evidence on the relationship between determinants and outcomes which is yet limited, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This calls for research on social determinants of health and demands capacity-building activities to enable such research.INTREC collaboration action is envisioned to address health inequities in LMICs of Africa and Asia by developing sustainable capacity for research for health and its social determinants, and by facilitating translation of research findings into policy and practice in both regions. INTREC also advocates for gender equity in health research by promoting women scientists.INTREC activities will cover three African (Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania) and four Asian countries (Indonesia, Viet Nam, Bangladesh, India) and will be concentrated in two training centres in Ghana and Indonesia. The centers are to become focal points for research on social determinants of health in LMICs, thus enabling extensive South-South and North-South networks and research cooperation.INTREC approach to capacity-building is holistic and includes both, providing state-of-the-art region-specific training for young researchers, and educating decision-makers on social determinants of health. The work will be carried by a strong Consortium team of five university-based centres in Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, the United States of America and Indonesia and by one research network of demographic surveillance sites in LMICs with headquarters in Ghana (INDEPTH).INTREC approach will be evaluated at the end of a 3,5-year period. Based on the results of this evaluation, a conceptual framework on how to build sustainable capacity for research on health and its social determinants that could be applied in other LMICs will be developed.