Background: For many questions asked by policymakers, a substantial body of evidence exists. However, this evidence is often scattered and not available in a form that they can easily access. Systematic reviews (SRs) of health policy and systems research (HPSR) have the potential to contribute to bridging the gap between what is known about policy options and what is currently done. They offer a number of advantages to potential target audiences outside the research community that could be relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Over the last two decades, a reasonable consensus regarding ‘best practice’ for SRs that inform clinical decision making has been established. However, limited prior synthesis work has been carried out in HPSR that could inform policymaking in LMICs. Objectives: The project aims to: (i) develop capacity in LMICs for conducting and packaging SRs of HPSR relevant to these countries; (ii) conduct reviews in three main thematic areas (human resources for health, health financing, role of the non-state sector); (iii) further develop methods for SRs of HPSR in LMICs. Methods: Four centres in four LMICs were commissioned: three focused on conducting reviews in the thematic areas, and one focused on building knowledge about appropriate methods for conducting and packaging SRs of HPSR. A network of collaborating partners provides technical support to the Centres. Results: Since the inception of the project in April 2007, we have: (i) established a centre in each of the thematic areas (Bangladesh, China and Uganda) and the Methodology centre (Chile); (ii) built a network between the centres and three collaborating partners based in high-income countries (the Cochrane EPOC satellite in Oslo, the EPPI-Centre in London, and the Effective Health Care Research Programme Consortium in Liverpool); (iii) produced four protocols (including three Cochrane protocols) and three draft SRs of HPSR issues relevant to LMICs; (iv) prepared structured summaries of published SRs of HPSR relevant to LMICs in a format easily accessible to policymakers. Conclusions: Systematic reviews could inform decision making at different levels of health systems. This project intends to further develop their contribution to informing policymaking in LMICs.