To implement health decentralization, Ministry of Health has launched Health Ministerial Decree No. 004 year 2003, stating that in order to strengthen health management in decentralization era there was a need to facilitate health research and development in local government. The study was to conduct a Training Need Assessment (TNA) for local human resources in health research and development. This TNA study was a case study in East Kalimantan Timur Province, with the samples of Balitbangda provinsi/kabupaten/kota, Dinas Kesehatan provinsi/kabupaten/kota, and Bappeda provinsi/kabupaten/kota. From ten basic substances questioned to respondents, i.e. (i) research institution management, (ii) research project management, (iii) research methodology, (iv) Health Systems Research (HSR) methodology, (v) qualitative data analysis, (vi) quantitative data analyisis, (vii) multivariate statistical analysis, (viii) scientific article writing, (ix) policy analysis, and, (x) advocacy of research results, the study has shown most of human resources' competence falling in the category of "fair competence" and "intennediate competence" and a smallportion of them in the category of "no competence" and "excellent". If seen from the institutions' need, above 83% has stated that there was a need for such substances. Seen from the availability of training of the substances by the institutions, above 80% has stated unavailable by the institutions. From the perspective of individuals' need, above 80% stated that the training of such substances was in need by the respondents. To improve health research and development in local government, the study recommended (i) National Institute of Health Research and Development has to produce standard training modules, both research management and research methodology, to improve human resources'competencies of local government, (ii) a facilitation model of health research for local goverment has to involve research and development institutions, i.e. Bappeda, Dinas Kesehatan, Balitbangda, and Badan Diklat Daerah, (iii) human resources to be trained were from Balitbangda, Bappeda or Dinas Kesehatan, depending on the institutions' current situation.