|
|
Executive
Director's note |
|
|
 |
 |
Dear friends and
colleagues,
I am pleased to announce the first issue
of the EDCTP newsletter. In this edition I am introducing you
to EDCTP and to its latest developments and I would like to
keep you updated on the progress of the EDCTP activities and
projects.
EDCTP is now a two-year old organisation,
which is embracing an ambitious project namely the
integration of the European Research for a noble cause
- the fight against three major killers in sub-Saharan
Africa: HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
In December
2005, the EDCTP General Assembly has unanimously approved
Switzerland as an associated member. The Swiss contribution to
the EDCTP’s collaborative effort to accelerate the development
of new clinical interventions to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and
tuberculosis in developing countries will be an important
boost to the work currently being carried out.
Since 1
January 2005, Prof. Charles Mgone has accepted the position of
Head of the Africa Office. He will be the keystone for
promoting the African leadership in the fight against the
poverty related diseases on the African continent.
Be
prepared, within few weeks EDCTP will launch the 2006 calls.
In the future, we will use this newsletter to keep you
updated on progress with the EDCTP activities, including
details of funding opportunities, meetings and ongoing EDCTP
funded projects.
So enjoy the reading and stay on
board.
Dr Odile Leroy
Executive
Director
|
|
The European and Developing
Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) was created
two years ago, by a co-decision of the European Parliament and
the European Union Council, based on Article 169 of the
European Treaty.
The mission of EDCTP is to
accelerate the development of new clinical interventions to
fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in developing
countries (DCs), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and to
generally improve the quality of research in relation to
these diseases.
The activities of EDCTP include:
- Stepping up cooperation and networking of European
National Programmes accelerating clinical trials of new and
improved existing products, in particular drugs and vaccines
in DCs
- Ensuring that research effectively addresses the
needs and priorities of DCs
- Helping to develop and
strengthen capacities in DCs
- Encouraging the
participation of the private sector
- Mobilising additional
funds to fight these diseases
|
|
|
|
News about the
EDCTP governance |
|
|
|
| * Switzerland
joins the EDCTP |
 |
The
Hague, 19 December 2005. During the General
Assembly, the EDCTP representatives unanimously approved
Switzerland as new associated member state.
EDCTP
is pleased to welcome Switzerland to its ranks. The Swiss
contribution to the EDCTP's collaborative effort to accelerate
the development of new clinical interventions to fight
HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries
will be an important boost to the work currently being carried
out. It will open up new and exciting possibilities for
international cooperation to improve the fate of those plagued
by these diseases in some of the poorest parts of the world.
Switzerland joins Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and The United Kingdom. This
decision reinforces the participation of Swiss scientists in
the field of poverty related diseases.
On 19 December
2005, Dr Odile Leroy, Executive Director of EDCTP, Mr Simon
Belcher, EDCTP Financial Manager and Mr
Charles Kleiber, Swiss State Secretariat for Education
and Research signed the agreement after the approval of the
Swiss Federal Council.
This unprecedented partnership
between European countries and African partners is enhanced
with each new member state adding its research potential to
the mammoth task of tackling diseases, which are crippling an
entire continent and much of the developing world.
|
|
| * EDCTP
welcomes Charles Mgone as the Head of the Africa
Office |
|
 |
Prof.
Charles Mgone joined the EDCTP team as the Head of the Africa
Office in Cape Town on 2 January
2006.
"I have joined
EDCTP at an exciting period when European member states have
shown genuine interest to work together through joint
programmes and in partnership with their African counterparts.
My mission in this is to mobilise and galvanise a strong
African input to provide ownership and leadership for
developing a genuine and sustainable partnership that will
live well beyond the existence of the
programme"
Prof. Charles Mgone, born in
Tanzania, has considerable experience in research, research
administration and training, particularly in malaria and
HIV/AIDS. Previously the Network Director of the African
Malaria Network Trust (AMANET), Charles Mgone
has been extensively involved in capacity building and
networking of African researchers and institutions to create
enabling environment for their participation in product
development and clinical trials in malaria.
Charles Mgone appeals to all Africans working on
poverty related diseases of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
to join hands in the EDCTP effort of alleviating the burden of
these diseases and the poverty they cause in the
continent.
|
|
| * Germany
supports a seconded North-North Networking
Officer |
|
 |
The EDCTP
Secretariat welcomes Dr Stefan Wagener as the new North-North
Networking Officer.
“The goals of the
EDCTP as an Article 169 initiative as well as a partnership
with Africa can only be reached by properly networking the
participating parties. I hope to be able to make a positive
contribution in this process which the EDCTP in the long run
can benefit from”
Stefan Wagener has been
appointed the North-North Networking Officer, seconded by
Germany. As a scientific officer at the DLR-Project management
agency (PT-DLR), working on behalf of the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), he has several years of
experience on research programme development and funding
activities. Since late 2003 he assisted the former EDCTP-EEIG
Chair Dr Peter Lange for nearly two years. Due to
Stefan's involvement in many national funding activities on
infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS
networks, the joint national malaria programme and the
initiative to set up an ERA-Net on Infectious Diseases
(CID-ERA), he has an insight into networking and national as
well as European requirements for the proper implementation of
an Article 169 initiative, like EDCTP.
|
|
|
|
News about
calls and grants |
|
|
|
| * EDCTP is
pleased to announce its calls for proposals for
2006 |
EDCTP offers
four types of funding which will be provided on a competitive
basis through the following grant schemes:
Clinical
Trials
Malaria:
- Treatment of
uncomplicated malaria
- Treatment of malaria in pregnant
women
- Capacity building for the conduct of malaria
vaccine trials
Tuberculosis:
- Treatment of
tuberculosis using new drugs and drug combinations
-
Treatment of tuberculosis in patients infected with HIV
-
Proof of principle studies of treatment shortening, evaluating
diagnostics in HIV positives and children and optimising
anti-TB treatment/ART co-treatment regimes
HIV:
- Simplification of treatment of HIV
- Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
-
Capacity building for the conduct of HIV vaccine
trials
Networking
- Providing
incentives for joint capacity building programmes in Africa
with two or more European institutions
- Promotion of
networks of training facilities for clinical monitors in
Europe and Developing Countries
- Sponsorship of meetings
or workshops of sustainable networks on an EDCTP relevant
subject
- Coordination and Networking of research
activities in Africa
- Support to national networking of
African scientists working on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and
Tuberculosis in Africa
Capacity
Building
EDCTP is supporting:
- Training of
staff working on an African clinical trial site
- Baseline
epidemiological studies
- Establishment of regional nodes
of excellence with a focus on reference laboratories and data
management centres
- Support for courses and seminars for
ethics
- Support for the establishment of African National
Ethical Review
Committees
Training Awards
-
Senior Fellowships
- Career Development Fellowship
- MSc
Studentship
- PhD Scholarship
Please visit
our website
regularly for more information on the deadlines for
applications, a description of the granting scheme and the
eligibility and selection criteria.
|
|
| * EDCTP ongoing
projects by country and grant type |
EDCTP current
projects are located in 17 different countries in Africa and
are engaged in several partnerships around
Europe.
Mali: Senior Fellow Malaria;
Gambia: Clinical Trial Malaria, Senior Fellow
HIV; Ivory Coast: Senior Fellow HIV;
Burkina Faso: Clinical Trial Malaria;
Nigeria: Clinical Trial Malaria;
Ghana: Clinical Trial Malaria;
Gabon: Clinical Trial Malaria; South
Africa: Clinical Trial TB, Senior Fellow TB;
Uganda: Clinical Trial Malaria;
Rwanda: Clinical Trial Malaria;
Kenya: Clinical Trial Malaria, Senior Fellow
Malaria; Tanzania: Clinical Trial TB &
Malaria; Malawi: Clinical Trial Malaria;
Sudan: Senior Fellow TB;
Zambia: Senior Fellow HIV, Clinical
Trial HIV, Malaria & TB; Zimbabwe:
Clinical Trial TB; Mozambique: Clinical Trial
Malaria & TB
|
|
|
|
Events: The
Annual EDCTP Forum 2006 |
|
|
EDCTP announces that
the next annual Forum will take place in Stockholm, Sweden
from 8-11 October 2006: “Through Partnership to African
Leadership”. For achieving its mission, EDCTP is
facing a major challenge; the development of a sustainable
health research capacity in Africa. A strong African
leadership is essential for identification of research
capacity gaps, prioritisation of research problems,
setting up of the required appropriate research agenda,
facilitation of translation of research findings into control
measures and assurance of the programme sustainability well
beyond the current framework. Furthermore, this will create a
true sense of partnership, commitment and ownership, whereby
all partners will offer strong contributions for the mutual
interest of the programme. Dr Cynthia Naus is the chair of the
Organising Committee and Prof. Charles Mgone is the chair of
the Programme Committee.
More information will follow
shortly on the Events
section of our website.
|
|
|
| * Executive
Secretariat |
Since
September 2005, Dr Odile Leroy, Executive Director,
has initiated a series of meetings with the
representatives of European Member States, in
Norway, Germany, France, The United Kingdom, Ireland, The
Netherlands and Denmark to discuss the process and the means
for implementing the article 169 and the mechanisms of the
contribution of the Member States.
EDCTP is
also investigating potential synergies with
product developers such as like-minded
organisations (AMANET, DNDI, EMVI, IAVI, MMV and others) and
pharmaceutical companies (GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis and
others).
In December 2005, Dr
Odile Leroy and Dr Marianna Karras were invited by
Dr Jose Esparza, at the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss possible joint
actions in capacity building for HIV vaccine.
In January 2006, Prof. Charles
Mgone and Dr Odile Leroy have met in South Africa with Prof.
Eric Buch, NEPAD Health
Advisor, Prof. Anthony MBewu, President of the South African Medical Research
Council and with Dr Dhesigen Naidoo, Deputy
Director General responsible for the International
Co-operation and Resources at the Department of Science and
Technology. Those visits aim to strengthen the
collaboration of EDCTP with African
Stakeholders.
|
|
| * High
Representative |
From October
2005 to January 2006, the High Representative (HR), Dr
Pascoal Mucumbi, in his role on advocacy for
EDCTP, has attended many meetings and forums of stakeholders:
AMREF Board meeting in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), 2nd EDCTP
Forum in Durban (South Africa), 2nd conference of African
Ministers of Health in Gaborone (Botswana), AVVP Forum in
Yaounde (Cameroon), Commissioners’ meeting in Washington, IOM
meeting in Washington, MMV meeting in Geneva, First Funders
Forum of GHAVE at the Wellcome Trust in London, CSDH regional
civil society meeting in Nairobi (Kenya) and the CSDH meeting
in Tehran (Iran).
|
|
EDCTP is pleased to announce
its continued welcome to all new members wishing to join its
listserv launched twelve months ago. To join
please send the email address you wish to use
for subscribing to nyirenda@edctp.org. This
listserv provides weekly updates and discussion
forum.
|
|
|
|
