The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership
The European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is a public–public partnership between 14 European and 16 African countries, supported by the European Union.
EDCTP’s vision is to reduce the individual, social and economic burden of poverty-related infectious diseases (PRDs), including (re-)emerging diseases, by supporting the clinical development of accessible, suitable and affordable medical interventions. Our funding approach integrates support for research with the development of clinical research capacity. We are also working to establish an enabling environment for research by helping sub-Saharan Africa countries to strengthen their ethical, regulatory and legal frameworks for research, ensuring they are able to host clinical trials consistent with international standards and respecting local regulations.
The EDCTP2 programme is providing €752.74 million of funding to EU–Africa research partnerships involving 19 European and 41 African countries. Our grants portfolio includes 123 clinical research grants (€634.6 million), with a focus on phase II and III trials of promising new interventions, as well as research on vulnerable or under-served populations such as infants, children and adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with pre-existing health conditions (co-infections and comorbidities). In the area of capacity development, we have invested in 196 fellowships to date. These support the career development of current and aspiring African scientific leaders. Through our EDCTP Alumni Network and Regional Networks of Excellence, we foster partnership and collaboration across sub-Saharan Africa, striving to address the gender and geographical gaps in global health research.
The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the threat posed by emerging infections. EDCTP launched an emergency COVID-19 funding initiative in 2020, supporting 24 international research collaborations. Since 2018, EDCTP has been supporting two networks – ALERRT and PANDORA-ID-NET – to enhance the capacity of sub-Saharan African countries to prepare for and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. These networks are actively involved in the COVID-19 research response, as are many of EDCTP’s projects and Fellows across Africa.
Partnerships are core to our work. Through a joint initiative in 2020 with the Africa CDC, EDCTP is supporting Masters training of a cohort of 120 epidemiologists and biostatisticians across sub-Saharan Africa. A recent collaborative initiative between the Botnar Research Centre for Child Health (BRCCH) and EDCTP is supporting interdisciplinary research efforts on COVID-19 through three projects that range from immunology to diagnostics and health screening strategies for COVID-19 in low- and middle-income country settings. Through another joint initiative with CEPI, in 2019 we launched a call for Lassa fever vaccines to tackle a disease which has the potential to cause a public health emergency. Furthermore, our membership and active participation in the GloPID-R network facilitates our engagement with global partners working on emerging diseases.
The EDCTP Association, which implements the EDCTP2 programme, is governed by its members, the European and African member countries (or participating states). The EDCTP programme is supported under Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The EDCTP offices are based in The Hague, The Netherlands, and Cape Town, South Africa.
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