EpiScientia Network secures grant to strengthen National Public Health Institutes capacity building for infectious disease surveillance intelligence across Africa
The EpiScientia Network has been awarded €1.3 million in funding from Global Health EDCTP3 to strengthen national pandemic preparedness and infectious disease control capabilities in sub-Saharan Africa through a practical, work-based capacity-building programme.
The five-year project brings together African and European partners to address a critical skills gap in health informatics, data science, epidemiology and infectious disease modelling. It will support National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) in training professionals to transform health data into timely, policy-relevant evidence for disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and public health decision-making.
Addressing a critical skill gap
Infectious disease control is becoming increasingly complex as disease patterns are affected by climate change, population movement and environmental disruption. Although NPHIs play a central role in surveillance, forecasting and policy advice, shortages of professionals with advanced technical skills in data science, epidemiology and health informatics can limit their impact.
EpiScientia will focus on staff involved in data collection, surveillance, laboratory work, outbreak response and evidence generation. By embedding training within NPHIs, participants will develop and apply new skills around real institutional priorities rather than being detached from day-to-day public health practice.
Building capacity through collaboration
In collaboration with five NPHIs in Benin, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal, EpiScientia will support 10 fellows through a Master’s programme in biostatistics, complemented by training in data mining and machine learning. It will also provide certificate-level training in health-oriented big data analysis and data science to 27 professionals.
The network brings together universities, NPHIs, technical partners and regional public health stakeholders across nine countries. Activities will include work-based training, online and face-to-face learning, mobility opportunities, summer schools, hackathons, data infrastructure development, and support for policy-oriented research outputs.
“EpiScientia is designed to equip the National Public Health Institutes with skilled professionals, enabling them to turn routine public health data into a learning environment and a decision-making asset. By training professionals inside National Public Health Institutes, the project will help build a workforce able to transform data into actionable intelligence for infectious disease prevention and control. The African Centre of Excellence in Data Science is humbled to contribute to this high goal and has accepted to drive the Scientific Leadership team of the project, together with Heritage Alliance Ltd, the technology Lead.”
Prof. Charles Ruranga, Scientific Lead, University of Rwanda / African Centre of Excellence in Data Science
Connecting skills, infrastructure and policy
Trainees will remain connected to their home institutions while applying data science, biostatistics and modelling methods to public health questions relevant to their NPHIs. This work-based model is intended to strengthen both individual expertise and institutional capacity.
A key innovation will be the development of a federated, privacy-preserving health data infrastructure that enables harmonised data analysis without centralising sensitive patient-level data. Using internationally recognised standards, including OMOP Common Data Model harmonisation, the project will improve interoperability, data quality and the ability to generate comparable evidence across institutions.
The project will translate analyses into practical outputs such as dashboards, policy briefs, roadmaps, publications and decision-support materials.
“This investment supports a strong Europe-Africa partnership focused on practical capacity, institutional resilience and long-term public health impact. EpiScientia will help ensure that a critical mass of skilled professionals are trained in at participating National Public Health Institutes, and the data generated across health systems can be used responsibly, securely and effectively to inform better decisions.”
Ms Nuraan Fakier, EDCTP Association, Project Coordinator
Supporting long-term public health impact
By equipping NPHI staff with advanced skills in health informatics, data science and infectious disease modelling, EpiScientia will strengthen institutions, enhance surveillance capacity and foster better use of health data for policy.
The expected long-term benefits include a skilled cohort of African public health data specialists, stronger cross-country collaboration, interoperable data infrastructure, and more timely evidence for infectious disease control. The network will also support knowledge exchange with regional partners, including Africa CDC, and contribute to sustainable capacity strengthening across participating institutions.
By investing in people, systems and evidence translation, the EpiScientia Network aims to help National Public Health Institutes use data more effectively to anticipate, understand and respond to infectious disease threats. The project represents an important step towards a more connected, data-driven and resilient public health ecosystem in Africa.
Background
The EDCTP Association acts as Coordinator of several projects under Global Health EDCTP3 actions that use lump sum funding. As Coordinator, the Association facilitates communication between the consortium and Global Health EDCTP3, supports financial administration, submits required reports and deliverables, and oversees effective project management with the Scientific Project Leader.
The EpiScientia Network project is supported by Global Health EDCTP3 and its members.