Côte d’Ivoire: Francophone information event on EDCTP
On 17 July 2018, an information meeting in French was held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to provide information on EDCTP funding mechanisms and opportunities. It was co-organised by the Pasteur Institute of Côte d’Ivoire (IPCI) and the Swiss Centre for Scientific Research in Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS). It was hosted at the Faculty of pharmaceutical and biological sciences (UFR SPB) of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Cocody, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. More than 150 researchers – based in Abidjan or participants of the EDCTP grant writing workshop from 14 different francophone African countries – attended.
After the opening address by Prof. Aboudramane Bamba, Director General for Research at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, a lecture on the ‘Power of collaborations in clinical research and capacity strengthening’ was delivered by the EDCTP High Representative for Europe, Professor Marcel Tanner.
In presentations followed by a Q&A session, Dr Ole Olesen (EDCTP Director of International Cooperation Europe) and Jean Marie Vianney Habarugira (EDCTP Project Officer), provided detailed information on the mission of EDCTP and elucidated the currently available funding opportunities. To share practical experience on applying for EDCTP funding, Prof. Louis Penali talked about the EDCTP-funded AFREENET project which aims to strengthen National Ethics Committees in Francophone Africa.
The participants had also the opportunity to learn more about the research and capacity building activities being carried out by ICPCI and CSRS, in presentations by Prof Mireille Dosso (Director IPCI) and Prof. Bassirou Bonfoh (Director CSRS), respectively. Prof. Dosso used this opportunity to introduce the Biobank of the Institut Pasteur de Cote d’ Ivoire which is has been designated as the ECOWAS regional biobank.
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Participants of the grant writing workshop were selected through a call.