European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP3)

Global Health EDCTP3 focuses on the major infectious disease threats facing sub-Saharan Africa, including HIV, TB, malaria, neglected infectious diseases, emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.

Global Health EDCTP3 funding supports clinical research activities and clinical trials, as well as other epidemiological or observational studies, including the integration of associated social science research in these studies. Funding also covers additional research studies embedded within a trial as well as integrated support for capacity development of researchers, institutions, and sites in sub-Saharan Africa, community engagement, and networking activities.

Further information on the funding opportunities can be found under the relevant webpage and annual Work Programmes.

Global Health EDCTP3 supports activities for research capacity building in Africa to:

• strengthen clinical research capacities in sub-Saharan Africa
• promote networking and collaboration between European and African researchers, among European researchers, and among African researchers, institutions, and sites (including support for regional Networks of Excellence in sub-Saharan Africa)
• foster collaboration with public and private funders
• promote communication with policy makers and the public to raise awareness about the importance of research to reduce poverty and attain the SDGs. Support will be provided to enable sub-Saharan African countries to develop robust research governance (including research support structures, ethical and regulatory frameworks) for conducting clinical trials with long-term sustainability.

Examples of the work carried out in this field can be found here and funding opportunities can be found in the annual Work Programmes.

A key objective of Global Health EDCTP3 is to improve research capacities, strengthen epidemic preparedness and response to infectious disease outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, and enhance global health security.

This objective is enshrined in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda and the legal basis establishing the partnership, which has an overall aim to support the development of diagnostics, vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases.

The Global Health EDCTP3 annual Work Programmes foresee funding to be mobilised in the case of a public health emergency. This mechanism allows rapid mobilisation of research funding in exceptional and duly substantiated emergencies.

Most recently, there was an emergency call for proposals to tackle the Mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Considering the increasing numbers of cases and the growing public health risk posed by the outbreak, Global Health EDCTP3 activated its emergency funding mechanism on 30 April 2024. It pooled resources up to € 6.5 million to launch an emergency call for proposals to support research and innovation projects that would advance the understanding of the ongoing Mpox epidemic in the DRC, contribute to the development of new vaccines and treatments, and improve surveillance strategies.

• 2024 Call for proposals – Mobilisation of Emergency funding for Mpox outbreak research response
• 2023 Call for proposals – Research to rapidly evaluate interventions on Ebola outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa
• Projects supported under the 2022 call for proposals on Genomic epidemiology for surveillance and control of poverty-related and emerging/re-emerging infections in sub-Saharan Africa
• Clinical Trials Community Africa Network (CTCAN) project

Collaborative work and partnerships with other GloPID-R members and beyond.

Global Health EDCTP3 fosters collaboration with key global health players, such as the European Commission, the World Health Organization, the Africa Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention, the European Medicines Agency, the European Centre for Disease Control and others, including product development partnerships, private partners and global funders, with the aim to promote pooling of knowledge and resources to accelerate the development of new and improved interventions to tackle infectious diseases.

Since its establishment, Global Health EDCTP3 has established new conversations with nearly a dozen different partners in order to identify potential synergies and promote coordinated responses, in particular with joint calls for proposals for the year 2025 and beyond.