EDCTP 4th annual forum
Building Bridges for Better Health

The Fourth EDCTP annual forum will be held from 22 to 24 October 2007 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso at the Sofitel Ouaga 2000 hotel with the theme ‘Building Bridges for Better Health.’  

Key objectives of EDCTP are to encourage the development of clinical trial networks in Africa and to facilitate the co-ordination of research activities and strategies of the participating European Member States in supporting and conducting collaborative research on the major poverty-related diseases. Since EDCTP began, African and European partners have been engaged in building and strengthening collaborations in sub-Saharan Africa on clinical trials on the three major poverty-related diseases of Malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB.  EDCTP recently committed to strengthen key institutions in Africa as “Nodes of Excellence” which will have the remit to strengthen regional capacity for the conduct of clinical trials, with the support, as required, of European member states.

The 2007 forum will focus on the following sub-themes:

1. On-going clinical trials in Africa
2. Clinical trial networks in Africa
3. Challenges in building clinical trial capacities in Africa
   a. Regulatory and ethics environment
   b. Networks and Nodes of excellence

Purpose
The main objectives of the forum are to present an overview of on-going clinical trials on the 3 poverty-related diseases in Africa and to identify future priorities, particularly with respect to the promotion of South-South, North-South and North-North networking activities.

Format
The forum will consist of:

• Keynote addresses by invited speakers
• Oral presentations reviewing EDCTP-supported research and other key research on the 3 diseases in Africa
• Electronic poster sessions – presented continuously during breaks and consisting of 5-8 PowerPoint slides summarizing ongoing or completed research
• Group workshops

The forum language will be English.